Hard to Say GoodBye
by Pure Essence
Summary: Ne, Ryoma kun.” She whispered as she stared at the floor sadly. “Ano…what would you do if I just disappeared one day?” RyoSaku
1. Intertwined Hands

**Pure Essence**: Hey! Here's my first Fanfic on The Prince Of Tennis. So go easy with the reviews. I love the couple Ryo.Saku! So I've decided to write this story for all you Ryo.Saku lovers out there!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any characters from P.O.T.

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Echizen's Room 8:30 AM

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BEEEP!

BEEEP!

BEEEP!

BEEEP!

Echizen Ryoma, also known as "The Prince of Tennis", groaned as he pulled the covers over his head to try to shut out the constant repetitive noise of his alarm clock. Sleep was still sticking to him and he refused to reach out a hand to shut off the alarm.

BEEEP!

BEEEP!

BEEEP!

His alarm clock continued to beep as Echizen continued to sleep.

BEEEP!

BEEEP!

BEEEP!

MEOW!

_'Meow?'_ The unfamiliar sound caused him to open his sleepy honey brown eyes. '_Since when could my alarm clock do that?'_

Trying to get up, he was tackled back down by a heavy weight. "Oof!" he huffed as his head hit the pillow.

"MEOW!" A furry face looked down at him. Recognizing it as his cat Karupin, he sighed in relief.

"Good Morning Karupin" he said and reached out a hand to turn off the forgotten alarm.

Pulling Karupin off of him, he stood up only to realize his room was extremely cold. A cool breeze swept past him and sent shivers down his spine. Suddenly, he yearned to get back to bed again. But looking at the time, he decided against it.

Pulling out a few shirts from his closet, he quickly changed before rushing downstairs for breakfast.

_'I hope it's Japanese breakfast this time'

* * *

Ryuuzaki Sakuno woke up late… again._

In a panicked frenzy, she braided her hair on her way out the door. Her two loose braided Pigtails flung all over the place as she ran to school at a frantic pace. '_I'm going to be late for English!_' she mentally cried.

English had never been her strongest subject. In fact, it was one of her poorer subject other then Physical Education-, which she got the lowest grade in, due to her constant clumsiness. Sometimes, besides the fact that she's a klutz, she think she deserve a higher grade for that class. After all, what matters most is effort and participation right? But her shyness got the best of her. Therefore, she never dared go up to the teacher to question about her grade.

As she made her way to the school's entrance, she noticed that it was packed with girls. Trying to see what was going on, she stood on the tip of her toes to try to peer over their shoulders.

'_What's going on here?'_ she thought in curiosity.

As if on cue, a shrill voice, somewhere in the crowd, yelled.

"OHAYO RYOMA-SAMA!"

Recognizing it as Tomo-Chan's voice, Sakuno mentally slapped herself on the forehead. '_Tomo-chan just has no shame.' _She thought in embarrassment.

Sakuno looked at the time on the school building to make sure she made it in time.

"8:45. Fifteen minutes before class starts." She muttered to herself.

Letting out a sigh of relief, she tried to make her way to the front of the crowd. Squeezing in was a bad mistake, for she got glares from other girls who thought she just wanted to get closer to Ryoma (Which she secretly does).

"Excuse me please" Sakuno said as she tried to squeeze her way to the front.

When she got mid-way through the crowd, the girls began to push in excitement--probably because Ryoma was getting closer to the school.

"Eek!" Sakuno squealed as she tripped over someone's foot and felt herself tipping over. The crowd immediately moved away so they don't get dragged down by her fall as well.

Ready for the hard impact, Sakuno squeezed her eyes shut.

She waited.

She waited

And she waited.

But instead of feeling the cold and hard pavement, she felt two strong arms wrapped around her waist and her face touched something hard, but warm.

'_Eh?' _Wondering why she didn't fall and hurt herself already, she opened one eye only to realize her face was smuggled into someone's warm chest.

Behind her, she heard a few boys whistle and Tomo-chan's shrill voice complaining about how lucky she was.

_'Lucky?' _She felt confused and dazed at the same time. Looking up to see who her savior was, her mouth fell open and her face turned red from embarrassment. She didn't know exactly what she was feeling right now. But, the thought of her body pressed tight against _him_ was enough to make her feel faint.

Quickly scrambling back to standing position, she bowed her head low with an apologetic look

"Gomen- nasai Ryoma- kun!" Sakuno squeezed her eyes shut. She'd never felt so embarrassed in her life! She could almost feel the girls' jealous evil glare at the back of her head. .

"Mada mada Dane." Ryoma replied casually.

'_Clumsy as usual Ryuuzaki'_ he thought with a smirk. He had to admit though, the feel of her body falling against his chest and his arms wrapped around her waist made him feel all warm and protective. Hiding the tiny smile that was pulling on the corner of his lips, he pulled his cap lower.

"You should get to class Ryuuzaki. It's already 8:50"

The look on her face was priceless. She turned her head to the school building. Indeed it was 8:50. She was in trouble. There's no way she'll make it to class with all these people surrounding them.

A worried frown formed on her panicked and flushed face. '_I'll never make it to class in time! What should I d-'_

Without warning, Ryoma had grabbed her hand and was pulling her through the crowd. Sakuno gasped in surprise. Her hands tingled from the warmth of Ryoma's hand, which was tightly grasping her smaller ones. She felt her cheeks beginning to heat up.

"GO GET HIM SAKUNO!" Tomo-chan's cheerful voice called from the crowd.

Sakuno groaned inwardly. She wasn't sure if that cheer was supposed to be good or bad. It was good that her friend was cheering her on and all. But, she also feared it because now they know her _name_! Who knows what they'll do for revenge?

'_Now's not the time to worry about that'_ she thought as she stared at their connected hands.

Finally, breaking out of the crowd, Ryoma began to run. _'There's not much time left' _he noted as he took a quick glance at the clock.

Sakuno ran behind him.

Her braids had slowly begun to unwind as it flew after her. Hair began to slip from the braids and eventually, the rubber bands that had used to keep her braids tight, slipped off allowing the hair to unravel itself into the bright sunlight.

'_My rubber bands!' _Sakuno cried mentally while reaching out a hand behind her to try to catch the rubber bands in the air. But, Ryoma's hand held on tight to hers and she couldn't turn back to retrieve it. '_Oh no…'_ Those pink rubber bands were one of her favorites.

"Aww…" she muttered under her breath. '_Guess I'll have to go to school without braids today.' _

Ryoma's stride began to slow as they entered the school and into the hallway. Finally reaching his destination, he stopped. Sakuno, who was taking long, quick strides behind him, bump into him at his sudden stop.

"Ow…" Sakuno said as she rubbed her sore nose. _'Why did he stop?'_ Looking up, she saw her English classroom right beside them.

"Oh!" she cried in realization.

"Get in." Ryoma said with his back facing her. "Class didn't start yet."

Sakuno made no move. Ryoma, who waited for her to enter the classroom, turned around to look at her.

"Get in" he repeated.

Sakuno stared at her feet. A light pink painted across her cheeks.

"Demo… Ryoma- kun" she whispered. "You're still holding onto my hand." She emphasized her point by pointing to their still connected hands.

Realizing that he was indeed still grasping tightly onto her hand, he quickly dropped her hand- maybe a little _too_ quickly.

"Gomen. I didn't realize." He said and began to walk away with his hands tucked into his pocket.

"Chotto Matte Ryoma- kun!" Sakuno called after him. Turning around, he looked at her with his half- lidded eyes.

"What?"

"Ano…I didn't thank you for before yet" she said with a smile. "Thank you for catching me. I was so sure I was going to hit the floor if you weren't there."

Silence.

Deep inside of her, she felt disappointed. She knew somehow that Ryoma wasn't going to say anything. That's just how Ryoma was. If she knew that, that's the way he was, then why was she so disappointed?

"Ja!" she broke the silence and reached out a hand to slide open the classroom door.

"Just be more careful next time," he replied suddenly.

Sakuno froze. '_Ryoma-kun actually replied!'_ The disappointing feeling within her, evaporated and was replaced by a happy and cheerful feeling.

"Hai!" She turned to give him one big smile. "I will."

Ryoma stared intently at her smiling face that was encased by shiny, sleek hair. .

"Your hair…." He trailed off as he examined her new look.

"My hair?" Sakuno looked down and ran a hand through her long hair. "What about it?"

Turning his back to her, he began to walk away again. "It looks better unbraided."

Sakuno blushed. _'Was that a compliment from the prince?'_

"Arigato. I lost my rubber bands so I had to leave them down." She explained.

"I see." Ryoma said as he continued to walk. "Ja."

Sakuno watched as Ryoma turned the corner. Somehow, her day had turned out for the better. She hoped her English class would be the same too.

DING! DING!

"Eek!" Sakuno jumped in surprise. _'I forgot about the time!' _She thought. Quickly, she slid the classroom door open and ran in just before the teacher came in behind her.

DING! The bell rang the last time to signal that class has begun.

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YAY! First Chap completed! P Review Review! XD

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	2. HomeMade Lunch

**Pure Essence: **Wheee! Chapter 2 finally here! I'm really obsessed with the couple right now so I'm trying my best to update as soon as possible so I can get the action along! Thank you all for the reviews! I really appreciate it. Your reviews are a part of my motivation for continuing. So keep reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.

**

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English Classroom  
9:15 A.M.

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**

Sakuno sighed in defeat as her sensei continued to ramble on and on in English. 'Mou…I don't get any of this…'

Frustrated and given up, her mind lost its attention on the lesson. Searching for something more interesting, her eyes wandered outside of the classroom window.

Outside, she could see Seigaku's tennis court. She couldn't help but wonder if Ryoma was late for practice because of this morning's incident. If he _was_ late and got scolded for it, she would feel extremely guilty. After all, it _wasn't_ his fault that she was so clumsy.

In a distance, she could see Fuji-senpai and Kawamura- senpai talking on the tracks. Scanning her eyes around the tennis court, she named each regular as she saw them.

'Fuji-senpai, Kawamura –senpai, Kikumaru -senpai, Oishi - senpai, Tezuka- buchou, Inui-senpai, Kaidoh-senpai, Momoshiro – senpai, and…' she stopped and frowned. All the Seigaku regulars were there. All – but Ryoma.

Disappointed that she didn't see him, she returned her attention back to class.

* * *

POK… Thump 

POK… Thump

POK… Thump

The continuous sound of his tennis ball hitting against a wall and bouncing off the ground gave Ryoma peace and comfort. He was _finally_ able to get away from his nosy senpais who kept on questioning about where he went and why he was late for practice this morning.

He couldn't possibly tell them that he brought Sakuno to class. (A/N: More like dragging to me) If he did, he could already imagine Kikumaru-senpai giving him a headlock and Momo-senpai saying "So young, so young" over and over again although he had no idea what that was suppose to mean.

Ryoma pulled his cap lower as beads of sweat rolled down the side of his face. The sun shone down on him mercilessly and on top of that, playing tennis on such a hot day wasn't helping much either.

He stopped hitting when the heat became unbearable.

'It was cold this morning…' he thought inwardly as he made his way to the tennis courts. Ryoma looked around his area trying to find a water fountain. Unable to find one close enough to him, he decided that the shortest way was to drink from the fountain inside the school.

He walked silently through the same path he had pulled Sakuno into this morning. Thinking back, he wondered why he did what he did.

Why had he held her hand when he pulled her out of the crowd? He didn't know.

'Perhaps it was a reflex' he told himself.

A reflex for what? To protect her from getting jumped by his crazy fan girls?

'Maybe'

Pushing his thoughts aside for the moment, he noticed two pink rubber bands on the ground near the school entrance. Bending down, he picked them up.

'This belongs to Sakuno' he thought as he recalled her saying that she had lost them.  
He quickly stuffed them into his shorts' pocket and made himself a mental note to return them to her later.

For now, his main destination was the school. He needed water. _Badly.

* * *

_

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The school bell rang, signaling the end of Sakuno's English class. Sakuno couldn't help but breathe out a sigh of relief.

'Ah… It's over.' She thought as stretched her tired body. 'Demo…I have homework…' The problem? She didn't understand a thing in class. How was she suppose to do her homework?

Sakuno frowned. She didn't like English one bit! It definitely ruined her good morning.

Letting out another tired sigh, she ran a hand through her wavy hair, in attempt to make it more neater looking. 'I hope I don't look too bad.'

Sakuno looked up at the hallway clock. Realizing that the late bell would ring soon; she quickly went to get ready for her next class.

* * *

The fountain handle was twisted rather harshly at Ryoma's eager attempt to get water. As water began to spurt out, he quickly let the cool liquid fill his thirsty mouth. He drank just enough to satisfy his thirst. 

Then, he took off his hat and set it on top of the fountain. He bent down and let the cool water wet his face, washing the sweat away with it.

"Ah…" he breathed as the water ran down his face. The coolness of the water felt good against his heated and sweaty face.

When he was done, he twisted the handle of the fountain to shut it off. Then he grabbed for his hat.

Ryoma didn't bother to wipe his face. He let the hot air dry it for him. Putting on his hat, he made his way up the stairs.

The bell had rang a few minutes ago. The tennis club members had probably returned to class – without him.

Ryoma knew that he was late to class. 'It doesn't matter' he thought 'It's just English.' He could ace his English class anytime - even, if he wasn't there everyday. He learned almost everything back in America. Everything they taught here was easy and it bored him to no end.

Ryoma debated whether to go to class or not. In the midst of it, he let out a big and tired yawn.

'I think I'll skip class' he decided as he made his way to the roof to sleep.

* * *

Sakuno packed her books quickly and ran out of the classroom. 'Finally!' she thought happily, 'It's Lunch time!' 

She had waited so long for this moment. Her classes made her sleepy, bored and not to mention hungry.

She ran in the direction of the cafeteria and stumbled a few times. When she was almost there, she suddenly halted. 'Chotto Matte…' she thought nervously. There are probably many girls from Ryoma's fan club there. She couldn't possibly go in there especially after what happened this morning.

She sighed.

Could the morning be any worse? Sakuno contemplated what to do nervously.

She _could_ eat in an empty classroom _secretly_. But, if she was caught, she'll be in trouble for breaking the "No food in classroom" policy.

There _is_ another place she could go…

'The roof!' she thought and clapped her hands together happily. The roof was quiet, breezy, and the perfect place to eat her lunch without any disturbances. She turned around and headed for the stairs that leaded to the roof.

'Gomen Tomo- Chan…' she apologized silently to her best friend. She had told Tomoka that she would be sharing her lunch with her today. But, since she didn't want to enter the cafeteria, she couldn't. 'I'll make lunch for you tomorrow.'

When she reached the roof, she opened the door. It made a very screechy noise, causing Sakuno to shudder. The sunlight blinded her eyes and she needed to blink a few times to adjust to the bright surroundings.

She took a few steps forward and the door closed behind her with a loud "Thump".

Sakuno looked around. There wasn't anyone here. She was glad. She kneeled down on the floor and began to unwrap her lunch.

"I thought you usually eat in the cafeteria"

Sakuno turned around quickly. "R-Ryoma –kun!" She was almost sure there wasn't anyone on the roof when she checked. "I didn't hear you come"

Ryoma gave her a bored look. "I was here before you," he simply stated.

"Oh." Sakuno wondered why she hadn't seen him when she came in. He must've been against the wall where the door was located. That was the only way she could've missed him.

Sakuno continued to unwrap her lunch. She opened the cover and looked down at her home- made lunch. It looked good. The lunch was made for two people - Tomoka and her. There was no way she could eat all this by herself. She glanced at Ryoma at the corner of her eyes.

"Ryoma – kun" she called.

He looked up. "What?"

"Ano…Did you eat lunch yet?"

Ryoma pulled his cap lower and laid on his tennis racket bag. "No."

"Eto…Would you like to share my lunch?" she asked. "I made extra." Sakuno didn't want to tell him that she made extra because she planned to share it with Tomoka. If she did, he'll probably ask her why she wasn't sharing it with Tomoka instead and thus, bringing back the topic of what happened earlier in the morning.

Ryoma looked at Sakuno in the corner of his eyes. Sakuno blushed at his gaze.

"No." He rejected. It's embarrassing to share the _same _lunch with a girl.

"Souka…" she muttered just as Ryoma's stomach betrayed him. Sakuno caught the sound of his stomach rumbling. Her lips broke into a smile and she laughed silently. "Demo Ryoma-kun, I think your stomach has a different opinion."

Ryoma quickly got up and headed for the door. Sakuno immediately stopped smiling. Is he leaving because of what she said?

"Where are you going, Ryoma-kun?" she called after him before he closed the door behind him.

Sakuno gave him a sad look. She didn't want to be alone. She really hoped she didn't say anything wrong to cause him to leave.

"To grab some Ponta." He said and left.

Sakuno sat on the roof alone. She stared at the closed door. 'Mou…' She didn't feel like eating anymore. She really wanted to spend some time alone with Ryoma.

He was always so cold and hard to approach. She would be happy if he was just a _little_ nice to her. 'Like this morning' she dawdled.

Giving up at the thought of Ryoma, she returned her attention back to her long forgotten lunch. Quickly, she took out her chopsticks and was ready to pick up a sausage when the roof door opened again. Sakuno winced as the door made the screechy noise again.

Turning around to see who it was, she gasped. Ryoma stood by the door drinking his Ponta. She stared at him with wide eyes. 'Ryoma-kun…came...back?'

Ryoma stopped drinking and looked at Sakuno.

"Why are you staring at me?" he stated and took another sip from his Ponta.

"I thought you left," she whispered.

"I said I was going to grab some Ponta. I never said I was leaving."

She blinked. He was right. He never said he wasn't coming back. So why was she so surprised?

"Here." Ryoma opened his tennis bag and took out an extra can of Ponta. He threw the can of Ponta to Sakuno and she clumsily caught it.

"A-Arigato…" she put the Ponta beside her lunch. When he went back to his resting spot by the door, she quickly put half of her lunch onto the cover of the lunch box. She took out an extra chopstick that was reserved for Tomoka, and brought the lunch to Ryoma.

"Ryoma- kun" she tapped on his shoulder. "Here. I'll give you some of my lunch as a repayment for your Ponta."

Ryoma raised an eyebrow. "I said I don't want it"

Sakuno looked sad for a moment. "Souka…"

Seeing her expression, he took the lunch from her hand.

"Eh?" She looked confused. Ryoma pulled his cap lower.

"Thank You" he thanked her in English.

Sakuno seemed stunned for a second. 'Ryoma-kun accepted my lunch?' She gave him a "You're Welcome" smile and went back to her part of the roof.

'Strange Morning' she thought and took a sip from her peach flavored Ponta.

* * *

**Pure Essence:** To be continued. I thought I had nothing to write for this chapter. I didn't expect it to come out this long. Lol. Well… I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! 

(star) He calls Sakuno by her first name when he's thinking. He doesn't need to be so respectful with names when he's thinking right?

Review! Review! Pleaseeeeeeeee?


	3. Precious Moments

**Pure Essence**: Hi guys! I want to thank all the people who reviewed. I'm trying to update as fast as possible because I'll be on vacation soon and I won't have time to update while I'm away. I'm really happy that many of you enjoyed this story. Your reviews always push me to do better and update faster. So keep it up!

If there's anyone here who is looking for Koko Dake No Hanashi (A RyoxSaku song) check out my profile. It has all the details there.

I wish everyone a **Happy Independence Day**! Go see the firework display! They're very pretty! This chapter is my treat to you guys. Hehe! Enjoy!

…I made this chapter longer _MUCH_ longer than the ones before… So have fun reading and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own P.O.T.

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**Chapter 3- Precious Moments**

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Ryoma and Sakuno each sat at different spots on the roof. 

Ryoma seemed to enjoy his spot near the door. Probably, because of the wall that he could lean on when he felt like sleeping. Sakuno sat about three feet away from him. To him, three feet was quite close. But, since it was Sakuno, he didn't really mind-not like he ever did.

Sakuno wasn't exactly the talkative or braggy type like her best friend Tomoka. Instead, she was always shy, calm, quiet, and clumsy. Ryoma sometimes admire those traits that she possessed probably because he preferred them over the rude, loud, talkative, braggy, and annoying traits that the other girls possess.

He took a sip from his grape flavored ponta and looked over to her side.

She had long finished her lunch he saw.

He looked down to his own lunch which was only half finished. 'Who knew a girl like her could beat me when it comes to eating?' he grinned then picked up his own lunch and began eating again.

* * *

PLOP! Fwish! 

Sakuno had accidentally flipped over her open book bag. Her books and papers tumbled out onto the roof floor in a messy pile.

'How did taking out my English homework lead to this mess?' she mentally cursed her clumsiness.

"Mou…" she muttered as she collected her books into one pile. She continued to stack her books on top of each other then, began putting them neatly back into her book bag. She was up to her last book when Ryoma grunted causing her to turn her attention to him.

Ryoma waved a few sheets of paper at her when he got her attention.

"You suck," he told her straightforwardly.

"Eh?" Sakuno replied confused.

"These are yours aren't they?" he waved the sheets of paper closer to her so she could see it clearly.

"AH!" she slapped her hand over her mouth in realization. Those were her English _test_ papers! She blushed in embarrassment. She had done absolutely _terrible_ on those!

"A-Ano… Ryoma-kun…" she crawled on all fours over to him. "C-Can I _please_ have them back?" she reached out a hand for it. 

Ryoma moved his hand farther away from her.

"Iie." He simply replied. "You suck in English," he said again.

Sakuno showed a visible frown. "Mou…You didn't have to rub it in…" she muttered under her breath.

Ryoma ignored her last comment and looked over her test papers. "You could've done better if you put some more effort into it." He told her.

Sakuno sighed. 'Easy for him to say…'

"Hai, Ryoma-kun" she said and once again reached out for her test paper. But, Ryoma once again moved it away from her reach. "Mou!" she said frustrated at his stubborn behavior.

"Can I have it back please? Ryoma-kun!" she asked him again.

Ryoma waved the paper above his head and Sakuno, at a desperate attempt, crawled onto his lap and reached for her test papers. They were now face to face. Ryoma, who was surprised at her action and her desperation to get those papers, nearly dropped the test papers in his hand.

They were suddenly _too_ close.

Sakuno continued her attempts to get her test papers back from him. She hardly realized what she was doing to him since her mind was set on retrieving her test papers. She wiggled and shifted in his lap causing Ryoma to shudder.

"Onegai?" she pleaded and he felt her warm breath on his cheek. He didn't answer. She continued to wiggle in his lap as she tries to snatch those papers off his hands. By accident, she pushed him a little too hard and Ryoma gasped when he felt himself falling backwards.

"Itai!" Ryoma grunted as he tried to get back into sitting position but a weight on top of him prevented him from doing so. Sakuno lied on top of Ryoma and her face was deeply flushed. Her body on top of him brought back the memories of this morning.

'How did one thing lead to another?' she thought to herself.

She looked up only to see Ryoma staring down at her.

Sakuno froze.

The test paper lay forgotten near him. Sakuno quickly crawled off him and snatched it before he could get to it.

Ryoma gasped when she crawled off of him. 'She has no idea what she's doing to me!' he shivered as a ticklish sensation ran through his spine.

When he finally sat up, he noticed that she had already taken the test papers and stuffed it in her book bag.

"That wasn't fair," he said to her. "You took it when I wasn't on guard."

"Gomen," she apologized meekly. "I had to or you wouldn't have given it back to me" she mumbled the last few words.

He grumbled a few incoherent words then turn his attention to what she was doing.

He looked on as she finished stuffing her last book back into her book bag and zipped it up. Sakuno flipped her hair behind her shoulders. It was getting annoying. Perhaps Ryoma was right about it being too long.

Ryoma saw her flip her hair and a realization suddenly hits him. 'Ah!' He still had to return the rubber bands that he found earlier this morning. He reached into his shorts and took it out.

"Ryuuzaki," he called. "I think these belong to you."

Sakuno turned around to see what he was talking about. Ryoma opened his palm to reveal two pink rubber bands that she had lost this morning.

She reached out and took it from him. "Arigato Ryoma-kun." She gave him a thankful smile. It was good timing because she needed it to tie her hair up right now. She reached behind her to split her hair in half then, tied it at the base of her neck- making two unbraided low pigtails. She didn't bothered braiding it.

Her hair smoothed out near the top of her head and curled right below the rubber bands. She looked different to Ryoma's point of view – But nice.

Ryoma continued to look on as she begins to dig out something again from her book bag.

This time, Sakuno had managed to take out her English assignment successfully, without creating a mess. Then, she stuck her hands into a small pocket of her book bag and took out a blue pen.

Sakuno began to read over her assignment.

'Eto… How do I do this?' she wondered as she tried to translate the English words into Japanese. She didn't go anywhere after 10 minutes. All she managed to do was write her name on her paper. 'Mou… this is hard!' she huffed.

"What are you doing?" Ryoma asked when he saw her frustrated face. "You're frowning quite a lot."

"Eto…I'm trying to do my English assignment due tomorrow…Demo…" she trailed off. She didn't think she needed to go any further especially when Ryoma just looked over her horrible test papers. Ryoma raised an eyebrow as if he understood what the problem was.

"But?" he pretended he didn't know what she was trying to say. He didn't have to help her. Most of the time, it was her grandmother that asked him to help _her._ If she really needed help, then she would have to ask him _personally._

"Demo…I don't know how to do it…" she finished.

"And?" he asked as if expected her to ask him already.

'And?' Sakuno thought. Did he actually want her to ask him for help? 'Of course not…' There was no reason why Ryoma would do that for her. She was already a nuisance to him. He helped her with her tennis form and shots. She couldn't possibly ask for more.

Sakuno glanced at her test paper below her. 'Or maybe not…' she thought when she couldn't understand a single word on the paper. She sighed finally giving in to his offer.

"And…can you help me on it?" she asked him politely. "_Onegai?_"

Ryoma smirked inwardly. He would not show the satisfaction he felt when she asked him for help like she really needed it. Ryoma scooted over to her side and took the paper from her hand.

He read it once. 'This is a piece of cake.' He thought and turned to Sakuno who was fidgeting nervously. 'To me that is.'

Sakuno peered over him as he began explaining and made a list of vocabulary that she needed to study and build at home.

Sakuno tried to follow what he was saying and realized that her assignment wasn't that hard at all. Ryoma made it easy for her to understand. The way he talked and explained everything in detail helped her a lot.

'If he was my teacher, I'll probably be doing better in English than I am now' she giggled at the thought of an older Ryoma teaching English with a grumpy face.

Ryoma turned his head to her when he heard a giggle and frowned. 'Is English that funny?'

Suddenly, he realized that they were _very_ close. Their faces were maybe only 1 or 2 inches apart. He held his breath when her eyes locked with his. He quickly turned his attention back to her assignment and pointed out a mistake he found.

Sakuno blushed a dark shade of red when their eyes met but didn't say anything. She ignored what just happened and corrected the mistake Ryoma told her to correct.

Fifteen minutes later, her assignment was complete. Sakuno breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Ryoma politely.

"Mada Mada Dane" he replied with his famous phrase.

Sakuno grinned. It felt like the weight on her shoulder's been lifted.

Somehow, Ryoma always managed to make her day better. 'He's like my knight in shining armor' she dawdled and blushed at the thought.

Then, the bell rang.

Sakuno jumped. The lunch period felt like it had lasted forever. It had been so quiet with only Ryoma and her. She couldn't help but feel a bit reluctant to leave.

She turned to Ryoma who once again had gone back to his resting spot on the roof. 'Why isn't Ryoma-kun going to class?'

"Ryoma-kun, I'm going to class now." She told him as she made her way to the exit.

Ryoma only nodded to show that he heard her. 'Mou…' Sakuno thought. 'Suddenly he's so quiet.'

"Ryoma-kun, Aren't _you_ going to class?" she asked him when she opened the roof door.

"Ryoma pulled his cap tighter around his head and looked at her. "Iie" he said. "I'm skipping today." Then, he pulled his hat lower to shade his eyes and lied down to sleep.

Sakuno sighed. 'That's Ryoma-kun' He was always so carefree, arrogant, cocky, and smart. He probably had no problem in passing even if he skipped class for a few days.

But she couldn't skip class even though she longed to stay with Ryoma for the rest of the day. If she did, her grades would drop below standards, and she might not even pass.

Sakuno sometimes wished she were more like Ryoma-who was able to do so well in tennis _and_ in school. 'But, that will never happen' she thought sadly. She was too clumsy to be like him. She lacked grace, intelligence, and boldness.

Sakuno turned to look at the already sleeping Ryoma one last time then, quietly closed the roof door behind her.

* * *

The rest of the day went smoothly for Sakuno. With her English assignment completed, classes ran more quickly and less boring. 

Finally, the bell rang signaling that school was over for the rest of the day. Luckily for her, she had no homework besides the already completed English assignment.

'I wonder if Ryoma-kun left school yet…' She thought as she stepped out of her classroom all packed and ready to go home. 'He probably did.' After all, Ryoma couldn't sleep all day long.

'Could he?' she wondered. If it's Ryoma, he probably _could_.

Sakuno finally decide to check the roof. It wouldn't hurt to just take a peak. If he wasn't there, then she'll leave. If he was still sleeping up there, well, she'll just have to wake him up. She definitely didn't want him to get locked in the school for the whole night!

It's as simple as that.

Sakuno put on her book bag and made her way to the staircase leading to the roof. When she reached the roof door, she pushed it slowly open hoping that it wouldn't make the squeaky sound it usually makes.

Thankfully, the door opened smoothly with no sound. She stepped into the roof. The first thing she noticed was the orange sunset lighting the roof with a pale orangey yellow light. It looked dreamy and definitely romantic.

"Sugoi..." she muttered under her breath as her eyes watched the beautiful sunset.

For a moment, Sakuno forgot her purpose of coming to the roof in the first place. Her eyes darted back and forth as she watched the cars and trees below her swayed and moved.

Finally, she snapped out of her trance when she heard a truck below honk.

She had a purpose here and she better get to it before the school gets locked. She turned around and looked for Ryoma.

She frowned when she spotted him. He was still sleeping. His cap was over his face and his arms under his head.

'I guess he _could_ sleep forever.' She thought in amusement.

Sakuno walked up to him and gave him a nudge. He didn't budge and Sakuno pouted.

"Mou… Ryoma-kun…" she nudged him harder. "Wake up already… School is over…"

Ryoma rolled over to his side but did not wake up. Sakuno got up and walked around him to the side he was facing. His cap fell off when he turned and Sakuno observed his sleeping face.

Ryoma looked so young, innocent and peaceful when he was sleeping. It seemed as if he was a totally different person. Sakuno couldn't help but crack a tiny smile.

She gently slipped her hand into his messy hair and caressed the soft dark green locks. It felt good against her fingers. Ryoma didn't seem to move or notice that she was touching his hair.

He continued to sleep.

Sakuno daringly traced his jaw with her finger and lightly caressed his soft skin. Oh, how she loved him. 'But, he will never know that…' she thought sadly.

"Sakuno…" Ryoma started.

Sakuno quickly pulled back her hand. Did he see what she was doing? Her face flushed at the thought.

'He called me by my first name…' she grinned happily.

"You suck." he mumbled in his sleep. Sakuno pouted. Did he have to tease her even in his dream?

"Ryoma-kun is so mean…" She whispered low enough for him to hear. But he didn't seem to hear it. Sakuno sighed. When will he wake up? The school will lock soon. She bent low and poked him in the face.

"Ryoma-kun!" she called louder. Ryoma mumbled a few incoherent words but his eyes remained shut.

"Karupin…" he mumbled loud enough for Sakuno to hear. 'Eh?' Sakuno wondered what or who Karupin was. Sakuno put her palm on his head and pushed it back. He landed on his back but still wouldn't wake up.

"Karupin…come here…" he mumbled unconsciously and pulled Sakuno on top of him.

'Eh!'

She struggled to break free from his grasp. But, he held on tightly. Sakuno sighed in defeat. She allowed herself to be pulled on top of him and flushed deeply when he puts his hand on the small of her back and patted it. "Ryoma-kun…"

'Mou… How did it end up like this?' she blushed.

His body against hers felt good. He was so warm. She snuggled closer to him and felt his grasp slowly begin to loosen. She took this opportunity to pull her wrist free and got off of him even though she hesitated to do so.

Now she definitely knows that Karupin wasn't an object. Could Karupin be his girlfriend? He sure treated it like it was some living thing. Sakuno felt her heart drop. So many questions were revolving around her brain. She shook them off. She _had_ to wake up him first.

She bent low and nearly yelled out "Ryoma-kun!" He treated it as if he was deaf and her cries were left unheard.

Sakuno crossed her arm in frustration. Who knew the "Prince of Tennis" was such a deep sleeper. Without any other way of waking him up, she pinched his nose and pushed his chin in to close his mouth. She waited for a few second before Ryoma started sputtering and gasping for air.

Sakuno giggled. 'Plan succeeded'

Ryoma pushed himself up and glared at Sakuno.

"Why'd you do that for?" he snapped.

Sakuno gave him an innocent look. "Demo, Ryoma-kun! You wouldn't wake up." She told him. "The school is going to lock up if we don't leave now."

Ryoma got up and checked the time on his cell phone. She was right even though he hate to admit it.

Ryoma yawned and picked up his tennis bag. He walked to the roof door lazily and opened it. Then he turned around and gave Sakuno a questioning look.

"Are you coming or not?" he asked then smirked. "Or do you want to get locked in the school with me?"

Sakuno blushed and stared at the floor. "H-Hai… I'm coming" she said and ran up to him. 'Although I wouldn't mind getting stuck here with you' and blushed a darker red at the thought.

They both exited the roof and the door slammed shut behind them.

* * *

Thankfully, the gate was still open when they exited the school. Sakuno walked besides Ryoma. He was quiet and had very little to say. Sakuno didn't say anything either. Occasionally she would turn to look at him. But he would continue to stare ahead. 

Sakuno wondered if this was the right time to ask him about Karupin. 'It's now or never.' She told herself.

She summoned up her courage and stopped Ryoma for a minute.

"A-Ano…Ryoma-kun" she began barely meeting eye contact. "Eto… Who is Karupin?"  
She mentally hit herself. How could she be so straightforward? Now he'll wonder where she got that information.

Ryoma eyes were wide and he blinked in confusion.

Sakuno began to wave her hand wildly trying to make herself look less suspicious "I-I mean…I just heard you mumble that name… a-and I was just wondering who that was…" she trailed off and giggled nervously.

"I-Is she your girlfriend?" Sakuno blurted out. That was what she was trying to ask the whole time.

Ryoma stood there dumbly. "Karupin is not my girlfriend" he told her and stared at her weirdly. "Karupin is my cat."

Sakuno stood there dumbfounded. 'Karupin… is Ryoma-kun's cat?' Her face was flushed in embarrassment. "S-Souka" Now that she thought of it, Karupin didn't necessarily have to be a human being. Oh, what a fool she made of herself!

Ryoma couldn't help but grin when he saw her face all red in embarrassment. 'Karupin's my girlfriend?' That idea was just silly and unheard of. Sometimes, he wonders how Sakuno manages to come up with all the weirdest ideas.

Sakuno continued to giggle nervously. "Forget I asked." She told him. This was just too embarrassing! Ryoma nodded and they both continued to walk in silence.

When they were finally at the intersection where they go separate ways home, the sky was already getting dark. The sun was already going down the horizon and only a line of orange could be seen.

Sakuno stopped and waved good-bye to Ryoma.

"Sayanora Ryoma-kun" Then, she walked in the direction of her home.

She walked steadily and quietly until she heard footsteps behind her. Was someone following her? Sakuno grew afraid and she quickened her steps. The steps behind her seem to quicken as well.

'Mou…why did this have to happen to me?' she thought as she half-walked and half-ran.

She was getting tired and was almost out of breath. She decided to stand her ground and confront the stalker. 'Stand strong, Sakuno!' she told herself. She took off her book bag and got ready to hit the stalker with it. She quickly hid behind a corner.

She could hear the person getting closer and closer…

Sakuno became even more nervous. What if her plan failed? What if the stalker was stronger then her? A million of 'What Ifs' raced through her mind.

She took a few deep breaths and waited. Soon enough, the footsteps seem to be so near as if it was right next to her. She stepped out and whacked her stalker with her book bag.

"Itai!" the stalker cried when he got hit. Sakuno froze. 'That voice is…'

"Ryoma-kun!" she yelled in realization and quickly helped him up. "Daijoubu?"

She hoped she didn't hit him _too_ hard.

"Gomen-nasai!" she repeated over and over trying to express how sorry she was.

Ryoma grunted and folded his arms in annoyance. "Why did you _attack _me?" he asked impatiently.

Sakuno winced at his choice of words. "I-I thought you were a stalker…" she explained.

He frowned. "Do I _look_ like a stalker to you?" Ryoma couldn't believe it. This girl was so insecure!

Sakuno shook her head no.

Ryoma sighed and rubbed his sore head. She had hit him with her book bag full of _hard cover_ books.

He growled when he felt a small bump on the top of his head. What did he do to deserve this? All he tried to do was make sure she got home safe. Then she comes out of nowhere and whacks him in the head.

"Itai, Itai!" he winced when he rubbed his sore spot a little too hard.

Sakuno stood by him looking very sorry. He turned to her and she avoided eye contact.

"Forget it" he told her and began walking again.

"Ryoma-kun! Where are you going?" She quickly caught up to him.

"Your house" he answered not bothering to explain.

"Eh!" Sakuno's eyes were wide. "A-Ano… What do you mean Ryoma-kun?"

He sighed at how simple minded she was. "I'm walking you _home._" He said. "Since you were so insecure and worried about stalkers."

Sakuno blushed at his last sentence. It wasn't _her_ fault for being so insecure. He never told her he was going to walk her home when they were suppose to go separate ways. How was she supposed to know it was _him_ who was following her? Also, it wasn't _her _fault that she's worried about stalkers especially this late in the evening. Anything could happen.

'Ryoma-kun no baka!'

* * *

They finally reached her house and she had long forgiven him for what he said. She concluded that it was his way of showing that he cared for her safety. 'Although he had a weird way of showing it' 

They stopped right in front of her house. Sakuno invited him in but he rejected the offer. She felt disappointed but hid it well. She only nodded as if she understood his decision.

"Sayanora then" she waved him good-bye as he turned to walk in the direction they came from. "Arigato for walking me home this late, Ryoma-kun." He waved his hand with his back facing her and continued to walk away. She sighed. Ryoma could be so unpredictable sometimes.

The sun had fully set by now and it was getting chilly. She turned and made her way into the house.

* * *

When she got in, her grandmother was at the kitchen table. She turned around when she heard Sakuno come in. 

"Ah… Sakuno" her obaa-chan greeted and waved a hand at her telling her to come over.  
"I have something to tell you"

To Sakuno, it doesn't sound like good news. She frowned and her eyebrows knitted together in worry.

'Obaa-chan wants to talk to me?' she thought.

"H-Hai? Obaa-chan? Is something the matter?" Sakuno asked as she slowly approach her grandmother.

"Sakuno," her obaa-chan told her "We're leaving Japan."

"EH!"

* * *

**Pure Essence**: TADA! My super duper long chapter! I guess I wont have to update for a month or 2 because of this long chapter. Lol Just kidding! But there were a lot of Ryo x Saku moments isn't there? Well R x R! I'll be reading your reviews over in my vacation spot! So keep it coming! I bet I'll have a better vacation if you guys review and make me feel like I've done a good job on this chapter before I left! So pweese! 


	4. Moments Left Behind

**Pure Essence:** I'm SOO sorry! You guys must've waited so long for this chapter.There's been so much going on lately like schoolwork, testing, PSAT and Saturday school, got my own room, and reinstalled Windows. All that stuff took me forever and eventually, I was able to settle down.

Another reason was that I felt bad for making Sakuno leave so I feel very reluctant to write sometimes. How weird is that! An author afraid of a plot she planned out! But, I know I eventually will have to get to it.. so… I hope you enjoy this chapter. I hope it isn't rushed since I'm a very busy girl trying to update as often as I can.Enjoy and review please.

**Disclaimer**: The usual gibberishy stuff. If you must see the disclaimer, go back to the other chaps

* * *

_**Previously in the last chapter:**_

_"Ah… Sakuno" her obaa-chan greeted and waved a hand at her telling her to come over.  
"I have something to tell you"_

_To Sakuno, it doesn't sound like good news. She frowned and her eyebrows knitted together in worry._

_'Obaa-chan wants to talk to me?' she thought._

_"H-Hai? Obaa-chan? Is something the matter?" Sakuno asked as she slowly approach her grandmother._

_"Sakuno," her obaa-chan told her "We're leaving Japan."_

_"EH!"_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 4: Moments Left Behind**

* * *

Sakuno's brain went blank. She stood as still as a marble statue and she waited for the information to slowly sink in. 

_'This can't be! Obaa-chan must be joking around!'_

Sakuno frowned visibly and said in a scolding manner.

"Obaa-chan! This is a serious matter.You shouldn't make jokes like that to scare me."

Her grandmother gave her a confused look then, closed her eyes. "Iie. I'm not joking. We will be leaving Japan in about 3 days. I have already notified the school that you will be transferring."

Sakuno's eyes widened. Her tiny hands grasped tightly onto the chair near her as if she was going to fall onto the floor if she didn't. She felt so _confused_ and _hopeless._

"Nande? Where are we going?" Sakuno's voice was barely a whisper. Her eyes were downcasted and eyebrows pinched together to form a pained expression. "Wh-Why are we leaving Japan?"

Sumire Ryuuzaki gave her grandaughter a simpathetic look. "A very close friend of mine is the tennis coach of a Japanese-American team. He recently got into an accident and may need surgery. So he is unable to coach until he is fully healed. His tennis team is really in need of a coach because they will be attending a tournament coming up really soon."

"So we're going to America?" Sakuno's voice quivered.

"Hai."

"Are we ever coming back?"

At this question, her grandmother's eyes avoided her face. Sakuno pressed for her answer.

"Are we?"

'_Obaa-chan! Please say yes!'_

"Gomen Sakuno. But I think we will be staying there for atleast 2 years."

_Atleast two years…_

That means atleast two years away from her friends, her school, the people she loved, the people she cared about. She have to leave them all behind…

Unwilling to give in yet. Sakuno asked more questions."Demo… Why did you accept without _asking_ me _first_!"

Sakuno's grandmother sighed and massaged her tired eyes. She had expected this to happen. Telling her granddaughter that they were leaving in three days was something even she felt reluctant to do.

"Because.. he begged me Sakuno. He was very desperate. His team worked so hard to prepare for the tournament and if they were to give up right now, he will regret this moment for the rest of his life."

She smiled. "Besides, Seigaku is doing so well. I think they will be fine without me. With Tezuka leading them, I won't have a thing to worry about. Do you understand Sakuno?"

_I don't understand and I don't want to understand!_

Tears of fustration were already building up in Sakuno's eyes. How could her grandmother make decisions for her without her permission and opinion! That was just plain unfair.

Sakuno squeezed her eyes shut. Unwilling to let the tears escape like a river down her cheeks. _'I will not cry. I will not cry'_

The happy moments that was with her just a few minutes ago felt like it had been washed out to sea. The moments with _him_ that made her heart beat faster everytime she was around him, the moments that they shared alone, the moments that were all precious to her up until now felt like it was no longer important or necessary.

What a pity. Ryoma was just beginning to soften up a bit.

"May I be excused Obaa-chan? My head hurts." Her grandmother gave her an understanding nod.

"Arigato..." Sakuno made her way up to her room. Her shoulders shook and a silent sob raked throught her body as she took a step at a time up the stairs.

It's funny how everything could fall apart so quickly right when you feel like nothing could possibly go wrong…..

When Sakuno finally got to her room, she stepped inside and locked the door. Then, she slid onto the floor slowly and unable to supress her tears and sobs, she let it all out.

Sakuno cried and cried. She poured her heart out with memories of Tomo-chan, happy memories of matches, the excitement she felt during the tennis games, the happiness of a victory in a tournament. The times she had spent with the senpai's and then, there's also… _him._ The person that made her life so happy and fulfilled.

Ryoma….

Sakuno's head felt heavy. The world around her seemed to be spinning in circles.

_'So very tired…'_

Unable to hold herself up anymore, Sakuno layed her back on the floor. Her eyes became blurry and before she know it, her mind was turning black. She muttered one last word before she fell into a deep slumber.

"Ryoma."

_Ryoma-kun.

* * *

_

Echizen Ryoma shivered. He had just felt a strange wind pass through him.

_'What is this uneasy feeling?'_ He couldn't quite put his hand on it. But, something definetly doesn't seem right..

He stopped walking and turned around only to see a most disgusting scene. There were so many mice scurrying around. So much that he could hardly count them all.

_'What is this? This was suppose to be the cleanest street of this area.'_ Ryoma gave a look of disgust and stood as far away from it as possible.

The mice swarmed on top of eachother and their small red eyes glowed brightly from the dim street light. Not far from him was a big dead rat. A bunch of smaller rats swarmed in that area and began eating it.

Ryoma's stomache churned.

_'I think I just lost my appetite for tonight's dinner'_

He took a step back and felt something rub against his leg. Ryoma froze, goosebumps traveled up his neck making his hair stand on ends. He slowly looked down to see atleast three black cats around him. Their golden eyes shoned so brightly that it almost looked unrealistic. The three black cats purred and rubbed its head on his legs. Ryoma gulped.

_This is definetly a bad omen._

He stepped over the cats and ran as fast as he could. Staying in that area gave him a _very_ bad feeling. Just thinking about it makes him feel uncomfortable.

_'What the heck is going on?'_

By the time he reached his house, he could hear his cousin's voice and his father's perverted jokes. He breathed a sigh of relief. Atleast he got home safely.

Ryoma opened his gate quickly and went in.

"I'm back!" Ryoma called and his father appeared by the doorway.

"Ah.. Seshounen. Where have you been?" his father grinned pervertedly and made a silly face. "Perhaps on a date with that old woman's grandaughter?"

Ryoma closed his eyes and ignored his idiotic father. He began making his way up the stairs when his nosy father suddenly popped up next to him – making him flinch .

"So, were you guys on a date? What did you do? Did you kiss her yet?" His father's consistant questions gave him a headache.

"Yes. We went on a date. We watched a movie, I bought her a drink and I kissed her."

His father jumped around in happiness like a monkey. Ryoma Echizen crossed his arms and frowned. His father wasn't acting like an adult at all!

Suddenly, his father came up behind him and gave him a hard pat on the back making Echizen cough.

"See. I knew you could do it."

His father was so simple-minded and _such_ an idiot. Ryoma closed his eyes and started for the stairs again."Baka Oyaji. I was lying." He made it loud enough for his father to hear. "There was no such thing happening."

His father stopped dancing around like a happy drunk man and scratched his head in confusion.

"Eh?"

"Tell Nanako that I don't want to eat dinner tonight." With that said, Ryoma went to his room and closed it loudly.

Nanjirou Echizen grinned at his son's behavior. "It's so nice to be young" he chuckled slyly and then whistled his way to the kitchen.

* * *

**The Next Morning (Two more days left)  
9:40 A.M.**

* * *

Sakuno groaned in pain. Her head felt like a balloon and the world around her was still spinning. Still, she struggled to get up, and saw a million of black dots slowly appearing in front of her eyes. She blink a few times trying to get rid of them but the black dots only became more. 

She winced when she finally managed to get on her knees. It was so hard to see anything. All she saw was the outline of her bed outlined with black dots. She slowly crawled on all four towards it. She climbed onto her bed with much difficulty.

"Ohh.." she moaned in pain and put her hand on her head. It was BURNING!

Sakuno reached for the phone and tried to dial her grandmother's cellphone number. After trying to get the number right with her fading vision and cold fingers, she managed to get it right at her fourth try.

The tennis court was lively in the morning. Everybody was working hard. Cheers of fans and talking voices filled the courts.

Sumire Ryuuzaki smiled as she observed the tennis team. Closing her eyes, she tried to absorb every little detail of Seigaku's Tennis court and it's players. She had been coaching in this school for so long now. Saying good-bye wasn't so easy. She glanced on the side where The Regulars were practicing and grinned.

'Ganbatte ne. Please make Seigaku shine while I'm away.' She thought as she watched them.

Perhaps now would be a good time to tell them about her leave. However, before she could walk two steps forward, her cell phone rang.

She glanced at her cellphone cover at the the name listed: HOME

_'Sakuno is still at home?'_

"Moshi moshi? Sakuno?"

* * *

Sakuno was relieved when she heard her grandmother's voice on the other line. 

"Obaa-chan?" She choked out. _'It even hurts to talk…'_

"Hai. Sakuno, Daijoubu?"

"I don't know obaa-chan. Everything around me is so dar—" Not able to finsh what she was saying, Sakuno's eyes rolled back and the phone reciever slipped from her hand.

The phone reciever dropped to the ground with a loud THUMP and her head fell limply on the side of her bed.

"Moshi moshi! Sakuno!" the phone reciever continued to call out her name. "Don't move. I'll be home right away."

Then, there was a click and silence swept in.

* * *

Sumire Ryuuzaki glanced worriedly at her phone. 

_'I'll have to tell them tomorrow'_ she thought.

"Tezuka. I need to speak with you for a minute"

"Ah." Tezuka turned to her direction and made his way to her.

"I have an emergency and I need to leave. Do you think you can take over for me?"

"Hai Ryuuzaki-sensei."

"Arigato. Tezuka."

"Iie."

After leaving down instructions, Tezuka watched as Ryuuzaki-sensei faded from his view. Then, he turned his attention back to the tennis court.

"In 20 minutes, Freshman will clean the courts. The Regulars, Juniors and Seniors may leave."

"HAI. TEZUKA- BUCHOU!"

* * *

**Pure Essence**: (gasp!) What happens next? I'm sorry that there arent any RyoxSaku moments here. But it will soon! So please keep supporting me on my story and review!  
I want to thank you people for all your support you've shown so far. I am very happy that you guys are reading my story and it makes me even more happy to know that you guys are enjoying it. Thank You so much! 

Oh. One more thing. My Microsoft Word's spelling and grammer check is down so.. There might be a lot of mistakes here (I hope not) So please excuse me and my bad grammer use or spelling for now.


	5. Don't Tell Him

**Pure Essence: **HIIII! Long time no see! Thanks so much for the reviews! I want you all to know that I have songs from Ryoma, Sakuno, Tomoka, and Ann, up for **request**. (Please check profile for more information).

I'm so happy that I've got 66 reviews already! I'm aiming for 100 before this story ends so please support me all the way D Thank you guys so much! Recently, I don't know what happened to all the Ryoma x Sakuno writers…. But this makes me want to update so bad so all the other Ryoma x Sakuno fans can enjoy this adorable couple's stories! Now, I present you Chapter 5!

**Disclaimer:** The same usual gibberish. I don't own this and I don't own that. I just own the plot to my story.

* * *

Previously in the last chapter:

_"I have an emergency and I need to leave. Do you think you can take over for me?"_

"_Hai Ryuuzaki-sensei."_

"_Arigato. Tezuka."_

"_Iie."_

_After leaving down instructions, Tezuka watched as Ryuuzaki-sensei faded from his view. Then, he turned his attention back to the tennis court._

"_In 20 minutes, freshman will clean the courts. The Regulars, juniors and seniors may leave."_

"_HAI. TEZUKA- BUCHOU!"_

* * *

**Chapter 5: Don't Tell Him **

One more day left

* * *

Sumire Ryuuzaki drove quickly and worriedly as she sped down the street to the direction of her house. Putting on her earpiece, she dialed the home number again. 

_Ring……… Ring…… Ring…… Ring…_

'Sakuno...please answer!' _Ring……… Ring…… Ring……BEEP!_

The call was once again disconnected. Sumire Ryuuzaki sighed in defeat. Taking off her earpiece, she pushed the pedal harder and sped even faster home.

Finally reaching her front door, she quickly got out of the car and fumbled with the keys nervously. Roughly slipping the key into the doorknob and turning it, she burst through the front door and rushed inside without locking the door.

"Sakuno!" She called into the house but the call was only answered in silence.

Sumire Ryuuzaki rushed to the staircase that led to Sakuno's room quickly, nearly tripping over her own foot in panic.

"Sakuno!" She called again as she climbed faster. "Where are you?"

When she got to her granddaughters room, she pushed opened the door only to see Sakuno lying unconscious on her bed. Terrible things began to emerge in her mind but she pushed them aside.

Without even wasting a minute, She ran to Sakuno's side and made sure she was breathing. When she felt Sakuno's heartbeat, she let out a sigh of relief. Her granddaughter looked flushed and sweaty. Sumire slipped her hand underneath Sakuno's bangs and felt her granddaughter's burning head.

'A very high fever!'

She rushed to the kitchen and opened the freezer to get an ice pack and rushed upstairs again. Gently pushing Sakuno into the middle of the bed, she laid the ice pack on her forehead and pulled the covers over her granddaughter. Satisfied with all she could do, she sighed wearily.

'Thank goodness…' Luckily, she had made it home in time. If it had been any sooner, Sakuno would've been in critical condition. Giving her flushed granddaughter a glance, a black object on the floor caught the corner of her eye. Sumire looked down and picked up the receiver that she had not notice to be there until now.

'No wonder I couldn't get through…' she thought and returned the receiver back to its original position and then exited the room.

* * *

Players from the Siegaku Tennis Club filtered out of the courts as tennis practice in the morning ended. Ryoma Echizen yawned and stretched his aching body. The sun once again shone down on him mercilessly and his sweaty uniform stuck to his well-built body. 

Unable to bear the heat anymore, he reached down to the base of his neck and unbuttoned two buttons to let his body cool quicker. About 4 feet away, he could hear a few girls, probably from his fan club, squeal in delight.

'Typical' he sighed and was surprised to see that Sakuno's best friend, Tomoka, wasn't part of it. He knew something was missing ever since the beginning of practice when the screaming and yelling wasn't heard.

He also did not see the shy pigtailed girl at all this morning. 'Not like I care really.' he thought but felt a pull in the back of his mind. He ignored it and went into the changing room to change into his school uniform. When he came out, the tennis courts were almost empty. With a light shrug, he slung his tennis bag over his shoulders and made his way inside the school.

* * *

'MOU! Where are you Sakuno?' Tomoka thought in frustration as she went around asking different people if they had seen her best friend. She had already checked the tennis courts where she and Sakuno promised to meet in the morning but she never showed up. 

Tomoka tried to find Sakuno's grandmother but she was nowhere to be found. She even tried calling her best friend atleast five times by now but no one picked up. She walked around trying to find another person to ask when she spotted Kikumaru-senpai and Momoshiro-senpai together.

"AH! KIKUMARU-SENPAI! MOMOSHIRO-SENPAI!" she yelled across the hall making the two senpais flinch and the people in the hallway frown at her high-pitched voice. Tomoka charged up to them and both senpais had to put their hands out to keep her from charging into them.

"Slow down, slow down. It's not good to be overactive in the morning. It isn't." Momoshiro said.

"Hai. Gomen – nasai Momoshiro-senpai."

"Daijoubu."

"Nya! What did you call us for?" The other senpai asked.

"Oh! I wanted to ask if both senpai saw Sakuno today. I checked the tennis courts and asked around but no one saw her at all." She pinched her eyebrows together. "I even tried to find Ryuuzaki-sensei but I don't know where she went either."

Both Momoshiro and Kikumaru thought for a moment.

"Now that you mention it," Momoshiro pondered. "Obaa-san was here earlier in the morning but I didn't see her when practice ended. I did hear Tezuka-buchou mention something about an emergency. Don't know who he was talking about though."

"Emergency?" Tomoka asked with a worried face. 'Did something happen to Sakuno?'

"What about Sakuno? Did Senpai see her?"

"Nya! I'm not too sure." Kikumaru pinched his chin as if in deep thought. "I don't remember seeing her today." Suddenly, his eyes gleamed mischievously and he bent down to Tomoka's level. "Perhaps you should ask _Ochibi_ that question. Nya!" He winked.

Momoshiro agreed. "Hai. Hai. I think Echizen is closer to her than us." He grinned from ear to ear. Kikumaru and Momoshiro then exchanged sly looks.

"D-Demo-." Before she could say anything more, they said their good byes and both senpais left mumbling something about being "so young".

Tomoka stood there dumbfounded as the two senpais ditched her. 'I was going to say that I didn't see Ryoma-sama all day either…' She gave a sigh of fustration. 'I think I'll just visit Sakuno after school.' Then she turned and walked to her classroom, mumbling all the way.

* * *

Ryoma visited the rooftop during his lunchtime to rest. Without debating, this place had become one of his favorite places out of the whole school besides the tennis courts. The tennis court is a place where he shined and was constantly surrounded by loud cheering people. 

The roof, however, was like his sanctuary and home. There was no one to disturb him and no loud people bothering him. It's just him alone. No one usually comes here as far as he remembered. Besides one specific pigtailed girl he had in mind.

Ryoma scanned his eyes around the roof to see if she was there today. But, the roof was empty and silent. 'So, she didn't come today…' he thought unconsciously. With a bit of disappointment hidden in his heart, Ryoma situated himself in his favorite spot by the door and closed his eyes hoping to get some sleep.

Suddenly, his stomach growled and his eyes snapped open. He rubbed his empty stomach and sighed. "If only she was here today…" he mumbled under his breath. 'If she was here… maybe I wouldn't be sitting here hoping for her to bring me food.' His thoughts drifted to the food she offered him yesterday and it made him hungry. Ryoma quickly dug out his grape flavored Ponta, and took a big sip hoping that it will sustain his stomach till he gets home or atleast after school.

* * *

'5…4…3…2…1…' 

DING! DING! DING!

"YES!" Tomoka yelled in happiness that school was finally over. A few people gave her an annoyed look but she did not seem to notice or cared. She quickly stuffed her books and pencils into her book bag messily and ran out of the classroom. When she finally got out of the building, she took out her cell phone and dialed Sakuno's number again. Surprisingly, she got through.

"Moshi Moshi?" she said into the phone.

"Tomoka?" the other line answered. Tomoka recognized that voice!

"Ryuuzaki- Sensei?"

"Hai."

"Is Sakuno at home? She wasn't at school today."

"Sakuno stayed home today. I found her unconscious with a high fever this morning."

"EH!" she yelled into the phone. "Is she awake right now? Can I come visit?"

"She's been asleep for the whole morning. Her fever's gone down significantly. Sure, You can come over. I think she'll be awake soon."

Tomoka breathed a sigh of relief. When she heard that Sakuno was unconscious this morning, her heart skipped a beat.

"Hai Hai. I'll be heading over now. See you soon Ryuuzaki-sensei." She hung up and began walking to the direction of Sakuno's house.

* * *

Sakuno groaned and shifted her body to the side. The ice pack slipped off her forehead and laid on her pillow forgotten. Sumire Ryuuzaki frowned as she watched Sakuno twist and turn in her bed uncomfortably. She walked over and gave her granddaughter a nudge. 

"Sakuno. Are you feeling better now?" she asked gently. Sakuno opened her eyes slowly and was relieved that she could see color.

"Nn." She nodded weakly. "I feel better now. Arigato Obaa-chan."

"Do you think you can sit up? Tomoka is coming over right now to see you."

"Tomo-chan?" Her expression suddenly turned sullen and sad at the mention of her best friend's name. Sakuno's grandmother saw the change of expression and gave her granddaughter an understanding pat on the shoulders.

"Daijoubu. Now will be a good time to say your good byes." She paused. "There is always a point in life where things change and you just have to accept it." She watched as her granddaughter's eyes tear up.

"D-Demo I'—" The doorbell rang and interrupted what she was about to say.

Sumire Ryuuzaki gave Sakuno a she's-here nod and helped her sit up. Then, she went downstairs to open the door for Tomoka.

Sakuno sat in her room listening to her grandmother's conversation with Tomoka. Feeling like she will never see her best friend again, a single tear slid down her warm cheeks. Sakuno quickly wiped it away when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

"SAKUNO!" Tomoka's extremely loud voice rang through the house and Sakuno winced when it reached her sensitive ears.

"Tomo-chan!" she greeted her best friend with the best smile she could put on. "I'm so happy to see you. Sorry for not coming to school today."

"It can't be helped" Tomoka dismissed that topic. "Are you feeling better Sakuno? You had me worried all day!" Hearing her friend's concerned and caring words made it harder for her to begin the topic she was suppose to tell Tomoka.

"Ah. I'm feeling better now. Thank you for caring so much about me." She paused for a moment and played with her fingers.

"Tomo-chan, there's something I have to tell you."

"Eh? And what's that?"

"I'm leaving for America tomorrow evening." Suddenly time seemed to stop. Neither of them moved nor said anything. The room was in total silence. Taking advantage of her best friend's silence, she continued. "Obaa-chan told me that I will be there for atleast 2 years because she will be substituting for another coach who will be doing surgery soon. I know this is a bit sudden for you. It was for me also… I really didn't want to say good bye this way."

Sakuno could see Tomoka's eyes getting watery and she predicted that a water crisis would soon follow. Unable to suppress it anymore, Tomoka's began wailing and pounced on Sakuno. Sakuno hugged her friend tightly engraving the feelings and memories they shared together into her mind where it would stay forever.

Sakuno began crying as each small memory played in her mind like a movie. "You'll always be my best friend Tomo-chan- now and forever. Please don't forget that. I'll be sure to call you once in a while when I'm in America so don't cry." She hugged her best friend tighter until the both quieted down.

Tomoka was the first to pull away. When she did, Sakuno saw her best friend's wet stained face and wiped it off gently for her. They were both hiccupping and wiping each other's tears. They stayed that way for almost five minutes when Tomo-chan asked a question that made her heart constrict so painfully.

"Did you tell Ryoma-sama yet?"

Silence for a moment. "No… I don't know where to start... I only found out about this recently. I didn't get a chance to tell anybody yet besides you."

"I'll go and tell him for you Sakuno."

"NO!" Sakuno yelled out and immediately covered her mouth when she saw Tomoka flinch. "I mean… No. It's okay." Her voice softened. "I want to tell him myself when the time is right. So please don't tell anyone about this yet."

"But Sakuno! Tomorrow might be too late. What if you don't see him tomorrow? You will miss your chance!"

"Daijoubu Tomo-chan. There's a place I know he'll be at." Sakuno smiled softly. 'A place with just me and him.'

"Where will that be?" Tomoka asked.

Sakuno smiled secretively and put a finger to her lips. "It's a secret."

Tomoka looked at Sakuno suspiciously but said nothing.

"Don't worry about that Tomo-chan. You just have to promise me one thing."

"Hai?"

"Don't tell him." Sakuno whispered. "You know who I'm talking about...just let Obaa-chan take care of it…"

Tomoka gave Sakuno a sad and painful look. But nodded her head anyways.

"I promise."

Then, they changed topics. Both laughed and kept smiling for the other. If this friendship will soon be separated because of long distance, they might as well make the best of it **_now_.

* * *

**

(A/N: Wow… I didn't intend to make it this long…. But once I started, I didn't know where to end it. I put a bit of Tomoka in this story since she was the closest to Sakuno and while Sakuno was sleeping, I figured I focus on her a bit. The next chapter will probably be back to Sakuno and Ryoma. Please **review**! D and let me know what you thought of this chapter . Don't forget that there are _songs_ for request on my **profiles** page!)


	6. Departure Part I

**Pure Essence: **SORRY! I know I'm late in updating and I'm soooooooo sorry! School sucks as usual and thanks to that, I have to stay up so late to do homework so I hardly have time to write. Exams are coming up too but, right now, I'm having spring x Easter Break so I finally can write this chapter! I hope my writing skills haven't dropped for these few months. Anyways, the story's almost coming to an end. Still thinking about the ending though! Hehe! -- P.S. – I'm telling you… the POT section needs more Ryo x Saku!

**Disclaimer:** Same old, same old.

* * *

_Previously in the last chapter:_

"_Don't worry about that Tomo-chan. You just have to promise me one thing." _

"Hai?"

"Don't tell him." Sakuno whispered. "You know who I'm talking about...just let Obaa-chan take care of it…"

Tomoka gave Sakuno a sad and painful look. But nodded her head anyways.

"I promise."

Then, they changed topics. Both laughed and kept smiling for the other. If this friendship will soon be separated because of long distance, they might as well make the best of it **now.

* * *

**

**Chapter 6: Good Bye**

**11:30 p.m.

* * *

**

Sakuno sat on her bed and stared dully into empty space. Her room was nearly empty. She had done most of the packing right after Tomoka left. The only things left in her room were things that she didn't need to bring along. As she slowly glanced around the room, a nauseating feeling overwhelmed her.

'Was my room always this big?' she thought as her eyes slowly traveled around the empty room. The sudden bareness of the room made her feel so small and lonely.

Her eyes landed on the luggage by her bedside and she decided to double check it to make sure she didn't leave anything out. When she stood up, a bright object rolled out from underneath her bed and caught her eye. She bent down and picked it up.

"The tennis ball with Ryoma-kun's face…" she muttered. Sakuno rolled the bright yellow ball around until she found the little face she was looking for. Her thumb brushed lightly over it and memories began to resurface in her mind.

'Ryoma- kun…' His name and face was the only thing that she could think of. 'Will you notice my disappearance? Will you miss me even a little? Will you think of me later on?' A million of questions ran through her mind and she wished the answer to be "yes" for all of them. A bitter smile slowly formed on her lips.

"Silly..." she reminded herself. "Why should he think of you? You're no one special… just another one of his fan girls…"

Sakuno's eyes watered as she brought the ball to her lips and gently kissed it. 'It was a one- sided dream after all...' Her thoughts were cut off when a knock startled her.

"Sakuno." Her grandmother knocked gently again. "Are you asleep already?"

"Iie." Sakuno called out and quickly wiped her tears. "You can come in, Obaa-chan."

Her grandmother entered and examined her room. "You've finished packing?"

Sakuno nodded. "I think I've packed everything I need"

Her grandmother nodded in approval. "Sakuno." She called to her granddaughter. "Do you still want to go to school tomorrow? If you don't want to, that's fine. Since I've already notified the principal about this."

"Iie. Obaa-chan… I _need_ to go to school. There is still something I need to do before I leave."

Her grandmother gave her an understanding smile. "I see...well then, I'll drive you to school tomorrow okay?"

Sakuno gave her grandmother a thankful smile. "Arigato Obaa-chan."

"Daijoubu. You should get some sleep now. Tomorrow will be a very stressful day."

"Hai… I'll sleep soon. Oyasumi, Obaa-chan"

"Oyasumi." Her grandmother said before shutting the door behind her.

Sakuno let out a sigh and looked at the ball in her hand again. 'I'm bringing this...' she thought and stuffed the tennis ball into her tight luggage bag. Then, she climbed into bed and closed her eyes. As she slowly let sleep claim her, only one thought crossed her mind:

'I want to see you… Ryoma- kun…'

* * *

**Morning**

**Day of Departure

* * *

**

**  
**'It's finally here' Sakuno thought as she crossed out the date on her calendar with a X. The day was sunny and beautiful, but Sakuno had wished it was rainy and dark. This type of weather didn't seem to match the way she's feeling. She had hoped that it would rain so maybe their flight will be delayed. But, life doesn't go that way does it? 

A feeling of dread made her stomach churn. "Today is the last day I'll see everyone, the last day I'm part of Seigaku, and the last day I'll ever see Tomo-chan and Ryoma- kun…." She muttered. Just thinking of it made her feel sick.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming up the stairs and she quickly made herself busy by stuffing her hand made lunch that she made early in the morning, for herself and Ryoma into her book bag. Sakuno's grandmother appeared by her door with her car keys.

"Ready?" she asked Sakuno.

"Hai… Do I have to bring my luggage with me?"

"Iie. We'll come home later to pick it up. We're going to take the taxi to the airport."

"Souka…"

Sakuno's grandmother gave Sakuno a gentle pat on her shoulder. "Let's go" she said. "You wouldn't want to be late today since you have things you still need to do right? And I still have news to tell my tennis team."

Sakuno looked up. "Eh? You mean you didn't tell them yet? Didn't you go back to school yesterday after Tomo-chan left?"

Ryuuzaki- sensei shook her head. "I was too worried about you to go back. It's not too late to tell them today. I've already told the principal to put Tezuka in charge after I'm gone."

Ryuuzaki-sensei gave her granddaughter a comforting smile and guided her to the door. "Let's go."

"Hai…" Sakuno grabbed her book bag and gave her room one last look before closing the door behind her with a tiny _click.**

* * *

**_

**  
**

When they reached school, it was almost deserted. 'I'm late' she thought obviously.

As the car came to a stop, Sakuno stared silently at the building through the window for a few seconds.

"Sakuno?" her grandmother's voice brought her out of her reverie.

"A-Ah…Obaa-chan… I'm going now. Ja ne." Sakuno said as she got out of the car.

"Do you best Sakuno." Her grandmother told her. "Don't regret anything later okay?"

"Nn." Sakuno nodded and closed the door. As her grandmother drove off, Sakuno stood in front of the school trying to carve the image of the school into her mind. 'I'm going to miss this place…' she thought sadly and walked towards the entrance.

* * *

Sumire Ryuuzaki headed toward the tennis club. Through all these years, she never regretted teaching at Seigaku. Deep inside her, she knew she would miss this school and her dear students. 

When she got closer to the tennis courts, she could see matches being held and Tezuka standing-by over looking the practice games. She smiled in approval and slowly walked up closer to them. Tezuka noticed her presence and greeted her.

"Is everyone working hard when I wasn't around yesterday?" she asked him.

"Ah." He nodded. "They were all doing what they were supposed to."

"Souka." She said and silence fell for a moment. "Tezuka, I'll be leaving for America tonight."

Tezuka turned to face her, a little bit of surprise adorned on his face. "America?"

She nodded and closed her eyes. "Yes, tonight. I have a friend in America who needs my help to coach his team because he got seriously injured." She sighed. "Can you do me a favor Tezuka?"

"Hai."

"Help me take care of them while I'm away. I know you'll be graduating this year. But, before you graduate, you may give the captain position to whoever you think is worthy..." she drifted off. "I'm sure you already have someone in mind." She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Can you do that for me?"

Tezuka was silent for a moment then he answered in his usual stiff tone, "Ah."

Ryuuzaki-sensei smiled. "I know you'll lead these guys to great heights. I'm happy to know that Seigaku's tennis club will be in great hands while I'm away." She crossed her arms together and breathed out deeply. "Well, it's about time I let these guys know."

* * *

**While Tezuka and Ryuuzaki-sensei are talking….

* * *

**

"HOI HOI!" Kikumaru bounced around as he practiced his acrobatic tennis. "Oishi, more balls and at a faster speed please!"

"Okay." Oishi called from the other side of the court. "Get ready!" He served more balls with more speed. Kikumaru returned them all into the basket.

"NYA! Practice Complete!" he mewed and hugged Echizen who happened to be standing behind Oishi.

"Ugh! Kikumaru- SENPAI!" Ryoma struggled as Kikumaru held onto him even tighter.

"Kikumaru Eiji. Practice Part I complete with 100 accuracy." Inui muttered as he scribbled into his notebook. "Next is Echizen's turn."

"Hai. If only- Ugh- Kikumaru-senpa- Itai!" Echizen tried to pull his senpai's arm off of him but to no success. "Oishi- senpai, help!"

Oishi sighed. "Oi, Eiji. You're going to strangle Echizen if you don't stop."

Kikumaru pouted. "Mou… fine." Kikumaru released his hold on Echizen so suddenly that he stumbled forward. Echizen took deep breaths and coughed. When he regained his composure, he made his way to the tennis court and began his practice. As Oishi served the ball, Echizen returned his balls with perfect accuracy and speed. Every one of his balls were aimed at the center of the basket. Other members gaped as they watched the freshman prodigy.

"That's our Echizen." Momoshiro joined in as they all watched.

At the end of practice, Echizen got 100 as expected. As he walked over to his senpais, he gave them a cocky grin. "Mada Mada Dane"

"Next is…Momoshiro." Inui announced.

"Hai Hai!"

As practice continued, the sun beat down on them mercilessly. "Thirsty…" Echizen Ryoma muttered under his breath. He stood up and left to find the water fountain without anyone noticing.

* * *

"Everyone, Gather up!" Ryuuzaki- sensei called out. 

As everyone crowded around her, she made her announcement. "I have something to tell all of you." She looked at their eager faces. "I will be leaving tonight for America and Tezuka will be in charge. Work hard while I'm away. Don't slack off just because I'm not here!" After hearing this, the club began muttering and becoming restless.

"Nya!" Kikumaru frowned. "Why are you leaving so suddenly?"

Sumire Ryuuzaki crossed her arms and sighed. She told them the exact thing she told Tezuka.

Afterwards, the muttering became even louder and she saw unwilling faces surrounding her.

"Obaa-san! Do you really have to go?" Momoshiro said.

Ryuuzaki- sensei nodded. "Don't worry about me so much. You guys should all worry about yourselves. Follow Tezuka's lead and bring glory to Seigaku. You hear?"

"HAI!" the group answered.

"Good. Now, everyone please resume your tennis practices"

As the muttering crowd dispersed, everyone went back to their own activities except the fact that an uneasy atmosphere hung in the air.

No one had noticed that a certain Ochibi was missing.

* * *

Ryoma sighed in comfort as the cool water ran through his hair and down his face. He let the water run for a few moments before shutting the faucet off and shook the water droplets from his hair. His hair dried quickly in the hot weather and he put on his cap again. 

Something brown caught the corner of his eyes and he turned to that direction.

'Hmm…' Ryoma's eyes narrowed when he thought he saw two braids turn the corner. He silently followed wondering if she was the one he's looking for.

He had noticed that _she_ wasn't at the tennis courts this morning. Nor was she there yesterday. He hadn't seen that loud mouth girl either for two days. He was starting to wonder if they had given up being his fans. He really could care less if that loud mouth wasn't. But the thought of Sakuno Ryuuzaki no longer on his side and supporting him made him feel uncomfortable on the inside – even though he will never admit that out loud.

Pushing his thoughts aside, he looked around. By the girl's tennis club, he saw a girl with two long brown braids standing by the water fountain with her back to him.

'Found her.' A sense of relief filled him and he didn't even know why. He silently made his way to her but when he was 4 feet away from her, she moved from her spot and began making her way to the direction of the girl's tennis courts. He ran to catch up and when in reach, he grabbed her arm.

"Hey!" he called out to her but did not look at her face. Without saying anything more, he dragged her to a quieter place where they can't be seen. He pulled his cap over his eyes. "Where were you yesterday? Have you given up on cheering for me?"

"Chotto Matte…" the girl answered. "Who are you?"

Ryoma's head snapped up. This person is **so** _not_ the person's he's looking for. The only similarity was the two braided pigtails. He mentally smacked himself.

'Argh! What the heck am I doing?' His face flushed in embarrassment for grabbing her arm and speaking so rudely to some stranger.

"Gomen. I thought you were someone-" Ryoma was cut off when the girl squealed and pointed a rude finger at him. "Aren't you THE Echizen Ryoma from the boy's tennis club?"

Ryoma cursed his luck. Why did she have to be his fan?

"Sorry, I have to go." Without saying anything more, he ran off and left the girl standing there bewildered that she had just met THE Echizen Ryoma.

* * *

By the time Ryoma had returned to the tennis club, a dull and quiet atmosphere surrounded the whole area. 'Something's not right…' he thought but shrugged it off. He quietly grabbed his tennis racket and joined the others, leaving no trace that he ever left. 

After he played a quick practice match with Arai-senpai, and winning 6-0, he headed toward the bench to relax when he overheard Momoshiro, Kikumaru, Kaido, Inui, Fuji, Kawamura and Oishi muttering something about buying things after school.

Ryoma did not join in. He had no interest in whatever they were saying or planning. 'It has nothing to do with me anyways' he thought. When the whistle blew, signaling the end of tennis practice, he quickly got up and made his way to the changing room.

Ryoma changed quickly and grumpily as his thoughts were not on tennis but on a certain pigtailed girl that he can't seem to find!

When he finished changing, he rushed out the door just as his senpai's were coming in.

"Poor Ochibi…" Kikumaru muttered as he clung to Oishi. "He's going to lose his girlfriend"

Momoshiro nodded. "Such a sad love" he said and shook his head.

The rest of the regulars looked at those two in confusion. "Girlfriend? Who? Echizen has a girlfriend? Since when?"

Momoshiro and Kikumaru exchanged glances and snickered. "Never mind!"

* * *

**Lunch Time

* * *

**

Sakuno had long waited for this moment. Finally, she could see Ryoma. Class had been so uncomfortable. People crowded around her after she made her announcement. Everyone seemed to make a big deal out of it especially when she mentioned America. They all told her how lucky she was to be able to go there and how they wish they could switch places with her.

'I wish you took my place' she had thought at that moment. It's not like she wanted to go to America. If anything, she rather stay in Japan where Ryoma-kun was.

Sakuno sighed heavily and made her way to the roof. 'I hope he's there today…' she thought eagerly and clutched the two lunchboxes tighter. 'After all, today's the last day...'

She climbed the steps slowly and her heart pounded with every step she took. Now standing at the roof's door, she took deep breaths and prayed to god that he was there.

Her hands slowly lifted to the doorknob and she pushed the door open with a painful squeak. A rush of air welcomed her. She closed her eyes as the warmth from the sun surrounded her. Opening her eyes again, she closed the door behind her and took a step forward into the empty and open area. She glanced quickly around the large empty area and her heart grew heavy. "It doesn't look like he's here…" she said out loud to no one in particular.

Sakuno turned dejectedly to the roof door with wet eyes. Her hands reached for the handle. But, before she touched it, someone grabbed her hand and yanked her _hard_ toward their direction. The forcefulness caused her to drop her lunchboxes.

Sakuno stumbled and tripped over her own foot as she was being dragged backwards.

"Kya!" she squealed as she lost her balance and fell backwards. She felt something slide under her before she landed.

The next thing Sakuno knew was that her head was spinning. That forceful yank totally took the breath out of her. Sakuno groaned and shifted but didn't get up. She rested on the soft thing beneath her for a moment before muttering an "Itai…"

"That's my line Ryuuzaki!" someone gasped from underneath her. "Can you please get off of me? I'm not your bed."

"Eh?" Sakuno looked up only to find her face very close to Ryoma's. If she had moved up one more inch, she could've kissed his chin. She blushed scarlet and he smirked at her red face.

She quickly jumped off of him and turned away, trying to hide her flushed face from him. Behind her, Ryoma groaned and rubbed his sore back. 'Last time was the head, and this time it was the back. Great.' he thought. If he ever dies, she would be the reason.

Standing up, he swiftly patted the dust from his shirt and pants.

"G-Gomen… Ryoma-kun."

"Betsuni" he muttered and sat down against the wall by the door. It was quiet for a moment. Neither said anything.

"A-ah! I almost forgot." Sakuno suddenly interrupted. She went over by the door and picked up the lunch boxes. 'Good thing they're not flipped upside down' she smiled. She walked her way back to Ryoma side and handed him one of them.

"Here." She offered and he gave her a confused look. She pushed the lunchbox into his hands. "It's not good to skip lunch everyday Ryoma-kun."

Ryoma stared at the lunchbox for a moment before looking up at her. "Um…" he started.

"The chopsticks are inside." She told him, thinking he was going to ask for them.

"Iie... That's not what I was going to say." He grumbled. "I was going to say Thank You."

Sakuno blushed and gave him a shy smile. "Daijoubu. I wouldn't want Ryoma-kun to starve."

Then, both of them said nothing more as they ate silently. The silence became heavier and Ryoma couldn't help but feel the urge ask her about what's been bothering him lately.

"Ryuuzaki." He said her name and she turned to look at him. "I didn't see you yesterday or today at the tennis courts. Have you stopped rooting for me?" The question came out more direct than he had expected. He avoided eye contact knowing she'll know what he's thinking if he did.

"Eh?" Sakuno tilted her head to the side. "I was sick yesterday and today…" she drifted off. "Ano…I had something to do."

"I see." He pulled his cap lower.

"Besides," Sakuno's eyes grew dark. "Ryoma-kun should already know that I'll never quit rooting for you _no matter where I am_"

He did not answer her.

Sakuno put down her lunchbox silently and closed it. Her eyes wandered over to him and her heart stung knowing that after this moment, she might never see him again.

"Ne, Ryoma- kun." She whispered as she stared at the floor sadly.

"Hm?" he muttered as an acknowledgement.

"A-Ano…what would you do if I just disappeared one day?"

Ryoma stopped eating and closed his lunchbox.

"If you disappeared one day?" he thought for a moment. "I'll miss your lunchboxes..." he said and chewed on his chopsticks.

"H-huh?" Sakuno looked at Ryoma disbelievingly. "You'll miss my lunches?"

He nodded.

Tears of disappointment began building in Sakuno's eyes. "Is there anything else you'll miss?" she asked hopefully.

Ryoma pulled his cap low enough to hide his eyes. "Not really…"

Sakuno's heart shattered and the tears overflowed. She sniffed silently but Ryoma caught the sound. He looked up to see her crying.

"O-Oi, Ryuuzaki." He stuttered. Why is she crying? He can't handle crying girls!

Did he say something wrong? What did he do to make her cry? He had absolutely _no_ clue.

Sakuno wiped her tears but refused to say anything. She grabbed the two lunchboxes and ran towards the door.

Before she ran out and slammed the door behind her, she turned to him angrily.

"Ryoma-kun no BAKA!"

* * *

**A/N**: YAY! This is like the longest chapter I have ever written. O.O 

I'm sorry if it seems a bit rushed! It's so hard to put Ryoma into character. So if he's a bit OOC, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

The next chapter will probably be in a while… I've got all these big statewide regents and AP Exams coming up. I'm going to dieeeee! I guess I can say that this super long chapter is a treat to you all! XD

P.S. – I feel bad for Sakuno… Ryoma can be so dense sometimes… tsk… tsk…tsk…


	7. Sayonara Ryoma kun pt II

**Pure Essence: **Hiiiii to all my fanfic readers and loyal supporters!!! I know I'm a bad girl who hasn't updated for a while, but life has been super busy. So forgive me oki? I just finished my AP exams…and now I have my regents to take and SAT…

I haven't written anything over these past few months, so I'm probably a bit rusty. Thanks to all who read the last chapter and enjoyed it. I hope you will like this one just as much!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the wacky plot to this story.

* * *

Previously in the last chapter...

"You'll miss my lunches?"

_Tears of disappointment began building in Sakuno's eyes. "Is there anything else you'll miss?" she asked hopefully. _

_Ryoma pulled his cap low enough to hide his eyes. "Not really…" _

_Sakuno's heart shattered and the tears overflowed. She sniffed silently but Ryoma caught the sound. He looked up to see her crying._

"O-Oi, Ryuuzaki." He stuttered. Why is she crying? He can't handle crying girls! 

_Did he say something wrong? What did he do to make her cry? He had absolutely no clue._

Sakuno wiped her tears but refused to say anything. She grabbed the two lunchboxes and ran towards the door. 

_Before she ran out and slammed the door behind her, she turned to him angrily. _

_"Ryoma-kun no BAKA!" _

* * *

**Chapter 7: Departure Pt. 2 (Sayonara Ryoma-kun)**

* * *

She couldn't believe it. How could anyone be so _direct _and _dense_? Did she have to say _everything_ in order for him to understand what she was hinting? 

Sakuno's heart constricted painfully as she angrily recited "Ryoma-kun no baka!" in her head over and over again. She muffled her sobs with her hand as she ran down the hallway blindly with tears blurring her line of vision.

A part of her pitied herself for being so weak and helpless. Another part of her blamed herself for not being able to tell him her true feelings and also expecting too much from the tennis prodigy. She should've known that he wouldn't say anything along the lines of "I'll miss _you_."

So why does it hurt so much? Why did she have to love him _so much_?

Since long ago, she knew this love would be fruitless. The probability that it was an unrequited love was 100 and she knew that. But still, the fact that he would miss her _lunch _more than he would miss _her_ was really heartbreaking.

Could this be his way of saying good-bye?

'I doubt it' Sakuno thought as she wiped the tears from her face.

From his reaction, it seemed as if…. as if he had _no idea_ she was leaving…

Sakuno shook the idea away. That's not possible. 'Obaa-chan said that she'll notify the tennis team in the morning...so Ryoma-kun should've known already.' She reasoned.

Then why did he look so confus--

Sakuno shook off the thought and groaned. This was too complicated. There was _no way_ Ryoma would've missed such an important gathering. Sticking to that idea, she took a few deep breaths. Finally, she didn't feel like crying anymore.

'I must be so ugly right now.' She thought and glanced at the clock in the hallway. There was a few more minutes left – enough time to fix those puffy eyes.

* * *

**At the same time…**

* * *

Ryoma sat silently by himself in the now empty roof. His face twisted in deep thought. Deep inside, he _knew_ he must've done something _really really bad_ to make Sakuno get so angry at him… but, what exactly was it that he did wrong? He had no clue. 

'Why are girls _so hard_ to understand?' he pondered, frustrated.

Ryoma could never answer that question because he doesn't even know the answer himself.

Why couldn't they be simple like tennis or English? Then, he wouldn't have to kill so many brain cells trying to figure out why Ryuuzaki was so angry at him.

Moments ago, Sakuno had run out on him snatching his delicious lunchbox away from him, leaving him surprised at her sudden aggressiveness.

He smirked at the thought though. It was the first time she had ever raised her voice at him and he had to admit, he was pretty surprised at her boldness. It was good to see her in the not so shy and quiet mode. She can be quite – he wouldn't never tell anyone in the whole world this – cute with that dynamic attitude. But he liked the quieter side of her as well. He wouldn't want her to turn too dynamic or she might even become like her friend Tomo- whatever her name was – friend. That would definitely be a no-no.

'Whatever' he thought casually. 'She can't stay mad at me for long…' Or at least he hoped. It sucks to know someone who's always been good and supportive of him be angry at him. An unsettling and tugging feeling pulled at his heartstrings. Ryoma frowned.

'Why do I feel like something bad is going to happen?'

* * *

**At the Gift Shop...**

* * *

The regulars of Seigaku (excluding Ryoma) all crowded outside of a girly gift shop staring at the pink and "cute" plushies that were peering back at them from inside the window. They had decided to skip their tennis practice and the rest of the school day to buy something for Ryuuzaki-sensei and Sakuno as their departure present. Of course, they had already asked Tezuka and he reluctantly allowed them to go today as an exception. They were also going to bring Ryoma along but, he was no where to be found. 

"So," Fuji began. "Are we going in?"

The other regulars scanned the street nervously. "Wouldn't it be weird going inside?" Kawamura asked, feeling a bit embarrassed. "This place seems to be more for the girls…"

"Hsssshh" Kaido agreed, a pink tint on his cheeks.

"Let's not waste time" Oishi said and opened the door for them. "We don't have all day since they're leaving in a few hours."

"But –" the regulars wanted to protest but were stopped by Oishi's stern and motherly look.

"Alright." Momoshiro sighed. "Kaido, you can go first."

"Fsshhh" Kaido hissed. "Are you trying to pick a fight?!"

Just before the two rammed heads, Kikumaru stepped in.

"Nya! Look look, Fuji and Buchou are already inside!"

"Eh?" All heads turned to look inside the pink store. Indeed, Tezuka and Fuji was side by side picking out "cute" objects.

"Darn, I wanted to be first." Momoshiro mumbled under his breath and unfortunately, Kaido caught it and another phase of bickering began. Fortunately however, it was stopped by Oishi who pushed the both of them into the store.

Inside the store, it was surprisingly not as "girly" as it seemed to be on the outside. Although the wallpaper was pink, the things inside were relatively made for both genders.

The regulars dispersed, each looking for their own presents.

Within 30 minutes, the regulars paid and met outside the store each delighted with their gifts and a bit sad that the time of departure was creeping closer.

"Now what do we do?" Momoshiro asked.

Oishi glanced at his watch. "School should end about now… I think we should start heading to the airport. I'm sure Ryuuzaki-sensei and Sakuno will be there soon…"

The rest of the regulars nodded. Oishi and Tezuka each waved for a taxi. Eventually, two taxis stopped in front of them.

"Let's go." Tezuka said and the Seigaku regulars quickly hopped into the taxi after their captain. During the ride, no one spoke a word. The tension was high and a very suffocating aura was beginning to form as the taxi drove closer and closer to the airport…..

* * *

**DING! DING! …..**

* * *

"**DING!!**" 

'_Oh GOD_' Sakuno groaned in her head. School was finally over but she was definitely not delighted. On regular days, Sakuno would've been grinning from ear to ear after the bell signaling the end of the school day finally rang. However, today was not just any _regular_ day.

It was the day of departure…_her _departure…She had dreaded this moment for a long time.

As the students around her quickly packed up and chattered excitedly about their after school plans, Sakuno could not help but feel like she was now in a totally different world from them. In around 2 hours, she will be on a plane to America where she will have to leave behind her closest friends, her home, school, and her long time crush, _Ryoma Echizen_.

Tears slowly began to well up as she remembered the prior incident and she closed her eyes to keep them from falling. 'Ryoma-kun…' she thought sadly. 'Perhaps I should go and apolo-'

"Sakuno… Are you ready?" Sumire Ryuuzaki suddenly appeared and jolted Sakuno out of her thoughts. "We must leave quickly. We still have to stop by our house to pick up the luggage."

Sakuno turned and nodded. "Hai… obaa-chan…" Sakuno quickly packed her books and went to her grandmother's side. As they walked down the hallway together, Sakuno turned her sad eyes toward the staircase leading to the roof longingly - hoping to get a glimpse of _him_ coming down coincidently. Sadly however, the staircase was empty and the roof door had no intention of opening soon. Sakuno closed her eyes as a heart wrenching feeling overwhelmed her.

'So this is how it all ends…' she thought and opened her eyes. 'Good-bye Seigaku, Good bye Tomo-chan, good-bye Seigaku Regulars…'

She turned to stare at the staircase now behind her for the last time.

"Good-bye Ryoma-kun"

* * *

**At the Roof…**

* * *

Ryoma yawned lazily as he shifted to sit in an upright position. 'What time is it?' he wondered and pulled out his cell phone – only to find it turned off. 'Off?' Ryoma raised an eyebrow and then it clicked. 

Earlier in the day, right before he fell asleep on the roof, he had turned off his cell phone to make sure no annoying or noisy phone calls would disrupt his rest.

"Hnn…" he muttered under his breath and pressed the ON button. The screen slowly loaded and finally, a beep was heard signaling that the cell phone was ready for use.

Suddenly, a notification popped up notifying him that someone had left him a voicemail. Ryoma Echizen scrutinized the message on the cell phone screen: "You have 6 voicemails."

'Must be junk mail' Ryoma thought. After all, he had never received that much calls in one day unless it was from fan girls who had somehow secretly gotten his number off who-knows-what sources OR perhaps it could be his senpais bugging him about missing practice.

'It's probably nothing important' he thought and shrugged it off. Snapping his cell phone closed, he stood up and headed for the door hoping the school gates have not closed yet.

* * *

**Back to Sakuno's Situation…**

* * *

Sakuno and her grandmother had packed and were ready to go. 

While waiting for the taxi to arrive, Sakuno stood outside her house and stared hard at it – hoping to scratch its image into her memories forever. "I'll miss you…" Sakuno muttered under her breath as she gently smoothed her hands over the gate. Most people would've thought she was mentally ill if they saw her talking to a house. But to Sakuno, her house was like a sanctuary, a place which had protected and sheltered her for so many years. A strong bond had been formed over the years.

While still in a daze and staring at her house unblinkingly, Sakuno did not notice that the taxi had pulled up behind her and was waiting for her to enter. Sumire Ryuuzaki had already started dragging the heavy luggage to the back of the taxi.

"Sakuno, why are you just standing there?" Sumire called, pulling Sakuno out of her reverie. "Help me carry some of the luggage!"

"A-ah, Hai Obaa-chan, Coming!"

Sakuno quickly turned around and helped her grandmother load their luggage into the taxi. When everything was packed into the back of the taxi, Sumire Ryuuzaki climbed into the front seat of the taxi while Sakuno silently sat in the back seat.

"To the airport" her grandmother told the taxi driver and he nodded.

As the car begins to move, Sakuno turned to look out the back window – her eyes never leaving her house. She looked on sadly as her house became smaller and smaller as they drove down the street. Sakuno's eyes teared and she wiped them away quickly so her grandmother would not see them. Even when their house was out of sight, she continued to stare out the back window.

Sumire Ryuuzaki watched her granddaughter in the front mirror. Knowing of her granddaughter's enclosed loneliness and sadness, she remained quiet during the ride for she knew that if she said one word, Sakuno would burst into tears.

In her thoughts, she wondered if it was really the right decision for her to take Sakuno with her to America. Sumire Ryuuzaki knew that Sakuno was happy in Japan but that doesn't mean she can't be happy in America too right?

'Time will change this' she reassured herself.

As her mind drifted to other things, Sumire Ryuuzaki noticed a small yellow tennis ball next to Sakuno. As she looked closer at the reflection in the mirror, she noticed that it was one of those tennis balls that Sakuno had drew Ryoma's face on.

_Ryoma Echizen_. How could she forget? He was so special to her granddaughter. For a long time, she knew that Sakuno had admired and _loved_ the prince of tennis and she probably still does whole-heartedly at this moment.

'Sorry Sakuno…' Sumire Ryuuzaki thought guiltily. She knew that by bringing Sakuno to America, she had hurt her granddaughter emotionally. She had to leave everything behind that she had loved including _him_.

Sumire Ryuuzaki was sure time can heal some of the wounds in Sakuno's heart. After all, adaptations take a while to get use to but once it kicks in, the pain will be less.

But there was one thing that Sumire wasn't so sure of:

Can time really heal a deeply wounded heart?

* * *

**At the Airport**

* * *

"Mou…. When are they coming?" Kikumaru whined. They had been here for half an hour and no sign of Sakuno or Ryuuzaki-sensei. 

"Eiji, It's only been half an hour." Oishi sighed. "They should be here soon."

Right after Oishi finished his sentence, Fuji spotted Sakuno and Ryuuzaki-sensei walking into the airport.

"Look, they're here." Fuji notified.

The regulars immediately rushed up to them and they were pleased at Ryuuzaki-sensei's expression –it was not hard to tell that she was deeply touched and surprised.

"Minna, arigato for coming." She smiled at them and they returned her smiles genuinely.

As Sumire Ryuuzaki and the regulars were talking happily, Sakuno looked around hoping to get a glimpse of the person she was looking for…

"Echizen isn't here."

Sakuno looked up to see Fuji, Kikumaru and Momoshiro hovering over her.

"A-ano, I-" She stuttered. "I wasn't looking for him…" Sakuno stared at the floor. If she looked up, she knew they would know she was lying.

Momoshiro and Kikumaru looked at each other while Fuji's always smiling face became more serious.

"Nya! Ochibi is so mean… he didn't even bother to show up when his girlfriend is leaving…" Kikumaru whined a little annoyed.

Momoshiro agreed. "Don't worry Sakuno-chan. I'll call him right now!"

Sakuno was about to protest but Momoshiro had already flipped out his cell phone and dialed Ryoma's number. Sakuno fidgeted on her spot nervously. She half wished Echizen Ryoma would not pick up to save herself from the awkwardness of the situation and another half of her wanted to hear his voice and see him one last time…

As fate had it… Echizen Ryoma picked up.

* * *

**Echizen Residence**

* * *

"Ring….." "Ring….." "Rin---" 

Echizen Ryoma reached for his cell phone. Seeing the caller ID that read "Momo-senpai", he flipped open the phone and put it to his ear.

"Momo – senp---"

"ECHIZEN RYOMA!" Ryoma winced. 'Sure doesn't sound like good news' he thought sarcastically.

"Hai?"

"_Where_ are you?!"

"At _home_. Where else?" he replied cockily.

"AT HOME?!" Ryoma can just imagine Momo-senpai looking like he's about to have a seizure.

'What's wrong with him?' Ryoma thought, a bit annoyed at the tone of his senpai's voice.

"Nn."

"OH-MY-GOD!" Momoshiro emphasized each syllable. On the other line, he heard Kikumaru asking Momoshiro what was going on and when he told Kikumaru what Echizen had said, even Kikumaru was causing a big commotion.

On the other line, he _swore_ he heard Kikumaru called him an "uncaring midget" and also something along the lines of "Let me give him a piece of my mind!"

There was a few moment of static and thumping - which Echizen was pretty sure was the fumbling of Momoshiro's cell phone in the middle of a fight over it between Momo-senpai and Kikumaru-senpai.

Ryoma sighed and waited until one of them can finally get a hold of the phone. Suddenly, a tiny voice was heard on the other line.

"It's okay if he doesn't come." the small voice squeaked.

"Ryuuzaki?" he muttered into the phone. As if on cue, Kikumaru's loud voice suddenly boomed so loudly that his cell phone was slightly vibrating.

"_Ochibi!_" Kikumaru sounded angry. "What do you think _you're_ doing at _home_? Your _girlfriend_ will leave for _America_ in about one hour!"

"My _girlfr-_, wait- Ryuuzaki? America? _What_?"

"Ochibi… this is not the time to fool around and pretend you know nothing. Ryuuzaki -sensei and Sakuno-chan will board the plane in about one h--"

_Click._

Echizen Ryoma hung up on his senpai. 'Sakuno leaving for America?' he thought incredulously. 'Is this some kind of joke?'

A fearful feeling tugged at his guts. As if moved by some mysterious force, he scrambled up quickly and grabbed his jacket, threw on his hat, put on his sneakers, and raced out of the house.

* * *

**Back at the airport…**

* * *

Both Momoshiro and Kikumaru were _fuming_. 

"He hung up on us! Nya!" Kikumaru exclaimed with a red face that almost matched the color of his hair.

Momoshiro simply grunted and spouted a bunch of curses under his breath.

All the while, Sakuno stood by the side watching the events unfold. When she had heard that Ryoma had hung up on them, her heart broke.

'He's not coming…' she thought painfully. 'He doesn't care whether I stay or leave…'

Deep inside, Sakuno's heart was bleeding and crying out but she refused to break down in front of all her senpais. 'I will be strong… I will be strong… I will be strong…' she repeated the four words over and over in her head trying to calm her nerves and distract herself from thinking about _him._

"Sakuno-chan"

Sakuno turned around to see an adorable teddy bear being shoved into her face gently as if trying to comfort her. Sakuno held the teddy bear and pulled it down to see the person who gave it to her.

"Fuji – senpai…"

"It's your departure present." He smiled softy. Sakuno was grateful. She needed someone who can smile and make her feel like everything will be fine. "A-arigato Fuji-senpai! I will treasure it. I promise." Sakuno gave him a grateful smile. He nodded as a reply.

Once Fuji gave her his present, the other regulars lined up to give her theirs. Sakuno thanked each one of them whole-heartedly. She felt so blessed to have friends as wonderful as those that were standing in front of her right now. "Honto ni arigato senpais." She bowed to them respectfully and thankfully.

'If only he came…' she couldn't help but think about him. The time was drawing so close and perhaps she will never see him again…

A hand was suddenly on her shoulder.

"Sakuno, it's about time to enter the gate." Her grandmother looked down at her approvingly and squeezed her shoulder gently.

"Hai… obaa-chan." She turned to bow in front of the Seigaku regulars one more time and thanked them for their presents.

"Take care of Seigaku!" Sumire Ryuuzaki grinned at the regulars. "I expect to see it in good shape if I come back in a few years."

"Hai!" all the regulars grinned. "Don't worry Ryuuzaki-sensei. It will be better than it was before."

"I hope so." She smiled approvingly. "Keep in contact. I will email all of you once in a while."

"Nn" All the regulars nodded.

"Sayonara senpais…" Sakuno waved goodbye.

"C'mon let's go." Sakuno and her grandmother walked toward the gate. Right before they entered, a loud and gasping voice penetrated the airport.

"WAIT!" Echizen Ryoma rushed up to them. "Sorry I'm late." He gasped, sweating profusely. Sakuno blinked and pinched her cheeks slightly to make sure she was not hallucinating.

"_Ryoma-kun?_" Sakuno's heart thumped wildly. This was too good to be true…

"Yea?"

"You made it." She said dumbly. Echizen Ryoma raised an eyebrow. "Yea. I took the taxi after I heard you were leaving and then I got stuck in traffic. I ended up running the rest of the way here." He wiped his sweat and his breath was beginning to steady.

Unbeknownst to them, the Regulars and her grandmother had temporarily moved far away to give them privacy – which, Sakuno appreciated. She had so much she wanted to say.

"A-ano… Ryoma-kun…" she began.

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry for yelling at you this morning on the roof. I felt like I just needed to apologize before I leave or I will carry that guilt overseas…"

He sighed. "_Baka_. Don't get so worried over something so insignificant."

She nodded and gave him a sweet smile that pulled at his heart strings.

"How come you never told me that you were leaving for America?" he demanded.

"E-eh? Obaa-chan had a meeting with the regulars and they all know about it already."

"Well, I don't." He huffed.

"B-but, everyone thought you were there and heard the message."

"That shows exactly how observant they are."

Sakuno chuckled at the tone he was speaking with and sighed a breath of relief. Finally, it seemed that everything was back to normal.

While Sakuno was in her own little world, Echizen Ryoma glanced at the bundle of gifts she was holding. 'Shoot' He doesn't have anything to give her. He didn't even have time to grab anything along the way.

Echizen cleared his throat slightly causing Sakuno to look up at him. His heart pounded a little faster than usual probably due to nervousness or something else he doesn't understand….

"I don't have anything for you…" he told her, a bit embarrassed at his empty-handedness.

"Eh?"

"I meant, I did not buy any gifts for you because I just found out you were leaving today…"

"Nn" she nodded. "It's okay Ryoma-kun. You showing up is already a gift for me."

Ryoma examined the bundle in her hand. He didn't like to be the only one without anything to give.

Reaching for his hat, he pulled it off his head. "Here. Take it."  
_  
_"D-Demo… Ryoma-kun! This hat is very important to you isn't it? You wore it to every tennis match."

"So?" he raised a questioning eyebrow.

"S-So, I can't have it. It's too important."

Echizen Ryoma sighed. "Just take it and think of it this way. I'm not really _giving_ it to you. Hold on to it for me. When we meet again, return it to me."

Sakuno was silent for a moment as she thought about the deal for a moment. A slight blush later illuminated her cheeks.

Ryoma smirked. Seems like she finally understood what he was trying to tell her.

'We will definitely meet again…'

"Hai Ryoma-kun." She gently took the hat from his hands and held it tightly. "Arigato…"

She looked at him one more time before she gave him one last beautiful smile. His heart felt like it was being squeezed and a strange bittersweet feeling overwhelmed him. He ignored it – not fully understanding what he was feeling and why he felt it.

"Sayonara Ryoma-kun…" she whispered to him before turning to leave.

He watched her leave.

"_Sakuno_."

He called loud enough for her to hear. She stopped in her tracks and half turned around to look at him. A blush fully spread across her cheeks.

"Ryoma –kun?"

"_Take care_."

She looked stunned for a moment before nodding.

"H-Hai. I will." She looked down at his hat.

'I hope I can meet you again… Ryoma-kun…'

She looked up at him one last time and memorized his face.

"Sayonara."

Ryoma Echizen watched as Sakuno Ryuuzaki entered the gate with her grandmother. Underneath his uncaring attitude, he knew he would miss her company in school, on the roof, or just simply at his matches which, will probably never be the same again without her around. But, for sure, they will meet again.

He was sure of it.

* * *

**_Finished. Epilogue Coming soon..._**

* * *

**Pure Essence:** So, how was it? This chapter was the longest I've ever written in this fic. I guess this makes up for all the months I didn't update. Hehehehehe. 

So, did you like it? Thought it was terrible? Or was it so good that you can just like marry it right now?

**The story ends here**. However, **I plan on writing an epilogue** which will definitely not be as long as this chapter (that's for sure). Expect it soon. Well, not _too_ soon… tests coming up… Its 1:00 a.m. right now… I've been writing this chapter all day…… Hope you enjoyed it at least. D

Please _Review_ and tell me what you thought of it. It's been a while since I've gotten any reviews and I miss them oh so dearly.


	8. Epilogue: The Beginning of the End

**Pure Essence**: BIG thanks to all the readers and reviewers out there who read/reviewed my story!! I'm so happy to be able to reach almost 200 reviews (something I never expected!) I hope all of you enjoyed the fic and hopefully you will enjoy the epilogue too! Once again, thank you all for reading! This chapter closes up the fic. I'm already planning on another fic…so please support me on the new fic I'm writing too.

Anyway, I take it back when I said that it definetly wouldn't be as long as the other chapters in the fic.

Please Read and Review! It would be nice to hear some encouragements!

Disclaimer: I don't own P.O.T sadly...

* * *

**Epilogue: The Beginning of the End**

* * *

It has been a year since Sakuno Ryuuzaki and her grandmother left for America. 

Nearly everything was back to the way it used to be.

_Nearly_.

Although Seigaku still stands in top shape, things just weren't the same – at least not for Echizen Ryoma. The 'old' Seigaku Regulars had graduated a little after Sakuno and her grandmother's fateful departure leaving only Momoshiro Takeshi and Echizen Ryoma to rule the boy's tennis team.

Before their ex-captain, Tezuka Kunimitsu's 'retirement' as captain of Seigaku a year ago, he had officially assigned Ryoma Echizen as Seigaku's pillar of support and Ryoma gratefully accepted hoping that he could bring Seigaku to greater heights - and he did. Throughout the year, the Seigaku's Boys tennis team had acquired much fame from winning all the tournaments that they participated in.

As Echizen Ryoma watched his team practice from the side, he couldn't help but notice the tension that hung in the air. The once fun and playful atmosphere that existed when his senpais were still around is now replaced with an atmosphere of seriousness and heavy stress.

Ryoma sighed. How he missed the good old times.

Speaking of old times….there was one thing that he didn't miss – his fan club.

He noticed Sakuno's ex- best friend on the side of the courts along with the other "Ryoma-sama fan club" members (all girls) screaming 'Ryoma-sama' over and over again as many of the tennis club members tried to quiet them down but failed.

'They just don't give up do they?' he thought as he made his way to the crowd causing them to fret even louder.

"Ryoma-sama!!" Tomo- something (he only knows the Tomo part from Sakuno) screamed in such a high pitch voice that he was sure she had the power to shatter glass. Suddenly, the whole crowd of girls reached out their arms trying so desperately to touch him. Ryoma kept a safe distance from them hoping that he would not get dragged in and get _molested_ by these crazy people who all wanted a piece of him.

"Mada Mada Dane" he said his trademark phrase, hoping the girls would know when to stop. As Ryoma expected, they did the opposite. The girls screamed even louder and the pushing and pulling became even more serious as random sentences were spouted but Ryoma only heard bits and pieces of it:

"Ryoma-sama! My name ……… sign is Aries………email is…….."

"Onegai…. Boyfriend…..prettiest gir…."

Suddenly, someone in the crowd screamed, her voice the loudest among the group. "Ryoma-sama! My bust size is the largest out of all of them so pick me!"

Echizen Ryoma coughed. He _so did not_ need to know that.

As the obsessive fan girls raged on with the embarrassing spouts, Ryoma rubbed his eyes tiredly. _When will this end?_

Dealing with this same situation everyday is aggravating. Perhaps his vice-captain can be of some help…

"Momo- senpai." Ryoma called.

Momoshiro immediately appeared beside his long time friend and partner. Although Ryoma held a higher position than him, the habit of calling him 'Momo-senpai' remained unchanged. "Do you think you can do something about _them_?" he raised an eyebrow at the crazy crowd.

Momoshiro looked at him incredulously with an expression that read: _If you can't handle them, what makes you think I can?_

Echizen refused to admit it, but his senpai was right. He needed a plan that can get them off his back for at least a week!

"If …" Ryoma began thoughtfully. "If I allow you girls to ask me 4 questions, will you leave us alone for a week?"

The fan girls nodded enthusiastically and Ryoma smirked. It seems that he has found the quickest way to get rid of them.

"Okay. Then what's question number 1?" he muttered in a bored tone.

One of the girls with long dark black hair asked first.

"Ryoma-sama, can you tell me your cell phone number? _Onegai_?" She begged.

"No." Ryoma said without even a thought. Why would he give someone as crazy as her his phone number? He considered it a suicidal act.

Another asked the second question.

"Ryoma-sama, when you graduate, can I have your second button?"

Ryoma stared at her with an eyebrow raised. If he was going to give away his second button, hell, it wouldn't be to her! He didn't even know her!

"No." _Never._

"Why not?" Another girl asked.

"I'm counting that as the third question." He grinned sneakily. "Because I don't want to" was his reply.

_Just one more to go…_

"Ryoma-sama." Another girl began on the fourth and last question. "Do you have someone you like?"

For a moment, Ryoma Echizen was rendered speechless. He stood silently in front of the hopeful fan girls that were awaiting his answer.

Momoshiro and Tomoka watched silently as they also awaited his confirmed answer - although they both pretty much had the answer in their minds. Since freshman year, Echizen Ryoma's heart had been stolen by _her_ although he didn't know it back then. But anyone else close to him could see that.

Echizen Ryoma looked pained and nostalgic for a moment.

"Yes." He finally said, causing nearly all the fan girls to groan and cry.

Momoshiro and Tomoka looked at each other knowingly.

"Who is it Ryoma-sama?!" they wailed.

"Mada Mada Dane." Was all they could get out of him. The depressed girls comforted each other as they left the courts.

Heaving out a relieved sigh, he turned around - only to find his whole tennis team staring at him with gaping mouths. After witnessing the whole confrontation, they were utterly shocked at what they just heard. _Their overly-naïve-when-it-comes-to-love captain actually LIKES someone? _Woah.

Ryoma crossed his arms in a stern fashion. "If all of you don't go back to minding your own business, then all of you will have to run 50 laps!"

The crowd quickly returned to their tennis practice as if nothing had just happened.

Ryoma smirked. God, he loved abusing his power as captain. He could just imagine the feeling of superiority Tezuka felt when he threatened him and his senpais to run laps in the past. Suddenly his smirk turned into a pained frown as nostalgia overwhelmed him. _Those were the good times…when everyone was together…_

Echizen Ryoma could not resist but begin wondering about the future plans of his senpais.

'Fuji-senpai is probably going to major in photography, Kawamura-senpai will probably take over his father's sushi restaurant, Kikumaru-senpai will probably perform as an acrobat at shows, Oishi-senpai will probably become a good teacher who cares a lot about the kids, and Tezuka-buchou will either continue his education to the highest degree or continue his tennis career, No doubt Inui-senpai will probably continue his research on making the "perfect" and "most delicious" drink ever while being a data man…. As for Kaidoh-senpai he'll probably become a pet caretaker…. and Saku-'

He stopped himself in mid-thought.

It's been a while since he last thought about the braided pig tail girl who clumsily slid into his life and out of it so quickly. His eyebrows pinched together as he frowned at the feeling that always tugged at his heartstrings whenever he thought about her – another reason why he tries not to. There was always this feeling of regret, sadness, yearning, and loneliness that accompanied the bittersweet memories of her.

He wished he had been less naïve back then and actually paid more attention to the signs that she had put out before she left. Apparently, his life revolved around tennis so much that he neglected everything else. And now, he suffered.

If he could go back in time, he wanted to tell her that he _would_ miss her when she had asked him that blasted question on the roof.

"Thinking about Sakuno-chan again?" a voice interrupted. Ryoma looked up to see his vice-captain staring down at him with a sympathetic look.

"Momo-senpai."

"Yo." He greeted. "So, were you thinking about Sakuno-chan again?" he repeated.

"Betsuni" Ryoma replied.

"You were weren't you?" Momoshiro asked although that was just a rhetorical question. "Every time you think about her, your expression softens."

Echizen grimaced. He hated it when people knew what he was thinking.

Momoshiro and Echizen stood side by side silently as they both enjoyed the comforting atmosphere between friends.

"Ne, Echizen." Momoshiro began. "Don't be afraid to make a move."

"Eh?"

'Typical Echizen Ryoma reaction.' Momoshiro thought. _Always so clueless…_

"What I'm trying to say is that if you _want_ something or _someone_, you have to work for it. Don't just sit here and think that somehow things will work out – because it won't."

Ryoma looked down. Inside, he knew where this conversation was leading to and he didn't like it one bit especially when it involved a certain braided pig tail girl.

"I don't understand what you're trying to say Momo-senpai." Ryoma feigned nonchalance.

_Liar._

"Is that so?" His senpai frowned and shook his head disapprovingly. "Maybe I'm just rambling then."

Ryoma remained silent. He wasn't _that_ dense to know that his senpai wanted him to do something about the still unclear relationship between him and Sakuno. But, they were so far apart right now and he just didn't have the guts to contact her. Not that it was all that scary or anything – just awkward.

Ryoma sighed deeply and slid a hand through his dark hair. Ever since he gave Sakuno his hat, he never bothered to get another one simply because it just wasn't the _same. _

"Look Echizen." His senpai's voice snapped him out of his reverie. "What I'm trying to ask you is this: If one day, an opportunity presents itself to you. Would you take it?"

Would he? Echizen Ryoma considered his senpai's words carefully. If it meant seeing Sakuno again, he probably would. But of course, he wouldn't tell his senpai that. He was starting to feel that his senpai was getting a little too involved in his business.

"Momo-senpai" Echizen began.

Momoshiro looked at his captain hoping for a truthful answer.

"Please go run 15 laps."

Momoshiro was stunned. Did his captain/friend just punish him or was he just hearing things?

"_N-Nani?!_"

Ryoma raised an eyebrow patiently. "15 laps I said."

"Why you little ungrat—"

"20 laps."

Momoshiro immediately closed his argument knowing that his laps would only increase if he said anything more. 'I'll remember this _brat_.' His senpai thought angrily.

As his senpai went off to run his laps, Ryoma leaned his back against the fence to relax. Suddenly, his sensitive ears caught someone calling him from a distance. He turned around and surely, someone was running toward him. When the person got closer, Ryoma recognized him to be a freshman from his club.

"Echizen-buchou" the young freshman huffed. "Here. The principal told me to give this to you as soon as possible."

"Hnn." Ryoma looked at the letter in his hands curiously before opening it. Once he opened the letter, his eyes went wide.

'_What is the meaning of this?'_

-------------------------------------------------

Echizen Ryoma grasped the envelope with the letter from the principal in his hands tightly as he made his way to the Principal's office. Pushing the door open in a rush, the door banged the wall next to him and startled the secretary.

The secretary immediately stood up and stopped him from charging into the principal's office. "Excuse me, Echizen- san. What business do you have here?"

"I need to speak with the principal" he stated obviously.

"Sorry but the principal is currently busy. How about you come back later?"

"No." he replied a matter-of-factly.

"No?" the secretary stared at the rude teen. "Well then, there's nothing you can do ab—"

"It's okay" a voice interrupted. "Let him in."

The secretary and Ryoma looked up to see Seigaku's principal smiling down at them. Well, more like smiling down at Ryoma as if he had been expecting him to show up.

The secretary looked unsure for a moment before allowing him to enter the larger office. She closed the door to the room after Echizen entered – leaving only him and the principal in the room.

"So, Echizen Ryoma." The principal said slowly. "What brings you here today?"

Ryoma didn't bother replying. He just took the letter and threw it on the principal's desk.

"This" he pointed to the letter. "What is this about?"

"Ah… I see you've received the plane ticket to America." The principal said happily, unaffected by Ryoma's foul mood.

'No really' Ryoma thought impatiently.

"Well you see, there is an international tournament being held in America where talented tennis players from different continents will come together and play in tennis matches. I figured you'd be interested. When I asked your father for his permission to let you go, he agreed immediately."

"Well, I didn't agree yet." Ryoma demanded. The happy principal raised a surprised eyebrow.

"Are you telling me that you would reject this once in a lifetime _opportunity?_"

_"What I'm trying to ask you is this: If one day, an opportunity presents itself to you. Would you take it?"_

D—n it. Why is everyone talking to him about opportunities? It's annoying him to no end!

"You know, it was actually Ryuuzaki-sensei that called me and notified me about this tournament. She urged me to let you attend because someone from her school will also be attending the same tournament and she would like to see you there."

Echizen Ryoma froze. If Ryuuzaki-sensei is attending the tournament… perhaps Sakuno will be there too….He was ready for the tournament no doubt. But, was he ready to see Sakuno again after a year of separation? He was nervous but still, he was anxious to see her again. It had been absolutely lonely and boring without her around everyday and he admits to that. Ryoma contemplated the situation for a little longer.

"Fine." He muttered. "I accept."

_I will take this opportunity…and let fate determine the rest._

The jolly principal beamed up at him in approval. "Well, here's your ticket. Please report to the airport on time the day after tomorrow. Good luck on your game and may you come back a champion."

"Mada Mada Dane." Ryoma smirked as he made his way out of the office. 'I will definitely come back as a champion.'

-------------------------------------

**The day after tomorrow: At the Airport**

-------------------------------------

Momoshiro Takeshi stood by his captain's side in the airport as they waited for his flight to arrive.

"Seems like your opportunity presented itself eh?" Momoshiro teased.

Echizen merely shrugged and took a sip from his grape ponta. His senpai frowned at his lack of response.

"Well, good luck Echizen. Hopefully, this time you'll come back with _two_ trophies." Momoshiro patted Ryoma's back with two forceful pats. "Ah…. So young, so young."

Ryoma glared at his senpai. What was all that 'so young so young' talk about. He never understood just what it meant.

"Of course" Ryoma replied casually and his senpai sighed. 'He doesn't get it does he?' his senpai thought. _Clueless once again…_

"Ah!" Momoshiro suddenly delved his hand into his pocket. "Here take this Echizen. I think you'll need it when you get to America." Momoshiro handed him a list of addresses and numbers. "I've done a little research on hotels and restaurants as to where you can relax before your match. The areas on the list are pretty close to the tournament's stadium so it might come in useful. I've also inputted Ryuuzaki-sensei's _number_ on there. So you can contact _her_ if you want to say anything."

"Hnn…" Ryoma stared at the sheet for a while as if in deep thought. "Arigato Momo-senpai" he finally said. Tucking the paper away into one of his pockets, he picked up his small luggage.

"Well, this is it Momo-senpai. Please take care of the team while I'm away." The loudspeaker interrupted him for a moment signaling that his flight was ready. Ryoma Echizen turned to his senpai and flashed a winning smirk.

"Ja ne." Ryoma turned and started walking for the gate. Momoshiro watched his younger captain disappear into the gate and sighed. 'Why does this scene seem so familiar?'

Hopefully, the younger boy will finish the unfinished business a year ago because fate had just dropped a huge opportunity for him and he'd better take advantage of it.

_Even fate is on their side…_

Momoshiro grinned. He had a feeling things will be alright when his captain and friend returns. Perhaps he might even come back with a surprise. 'Who knows?' he thought. 'That kid is always full of surprises.'

-------------------------------------

**In America...**

-------------------------------------

Echizen Ryoma stepped out of the airport in a daze. Sitting in the plane's uncomfortable chair for twenty and more hours was tiring and his body ached from head to toe. However, when he saw the familiar landscape that presented itself to him, his fatigue melted away. It has been a while since he came back and boy, wasn't he glad he did. He had missed his homeland – the place where he was born and brought up in. Admiring the busy view for a moment more, he waved to a taxi.

The taxi stopped in front of him. Ryoma slipped into the back seat and slammed the door shut. "To N.I.C Hotel please." He said in fluent English. The taxi driver nodded and the car started moving. Now, all that's left to do is to get some rest and prepare for tomorrow's tournament.

He couldn't wait. His anxiousness was starting to get the better of him. However, it was not the tournament that was worrying him. Sure, the tournament was exciting. But he didn't come here _just_ for the tournament. He wanted to see her again and he hoped silently that his wish will be granted. He didn't want this opportunity to go to waste and surely, he didn't want to return to Japan with even more regrets than he already had.

'Tomorrow will be a good day.' he thought randomly as he looked up at the clear blue sky….

When they arrived at the hotel, Ryoma checked into a small one person room. It was cozy and he liked it. Dropping his luggage on the floor, he dug out a few clean clothing from his bag and stepped into a bathroom for a shower. Within 45 minutes later, he emerged in fresh clothing and damp hair. He dried his messy wet hair with a dry towel and sighed in pleasure.

Now this was what he called _comfortable_.

He paused for a moment before he pulled out the sheet of paper Momoshiro had given him and stared at Ryuuzaki-sensei's number. Should he call? He wanted to but he didn't know exactly what to say and if Sakuno happened to be the one who answered the phone, he was sure he would lose his voice – which was so unlike him.

'Tomorrow.' He thought. 'I'm bound to play Ryuuzaki-sensei's team anyway.'

He shrugged off his urge to call and replaced the paper back into his pocket. Then, he glanced at the time. 6:37 p.m. It wasn't that late but he was awfully tired. If he was going to win the tournament tomorrow, he would definetly need to get rid of his aching muscles from the tiring plane ride. He crawled into bed and sighed sleepily. Before long, he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

--------------------------------------

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEE –

The hotel's alarm clock rang as Echizen Ryoma shifted to the side and turned off the alarm. He groaned lazily and opened his sleepy eyes. The room was bright with sunshine that came in from the windows and he sat up slowly. He glanced at the digital clock which read 8:30 a.m and remembered that he had to be at the stadium by 9:30 a.m.

'Great.' He thought and quickly went to the bathroom to clean up his disoriented appearance. When he was done, he grabbed his tennis bag and headed for the stadium where the tournament took place.

By the time Ryoma arrived, many of the players were already prepared and were waiting on standby. 'Oh well.' Ryoma shrugged casually. It didn't matter if he came in late. As long as he's the one who wins at the end. Ryoma turned to read the game chart. He counted the amount of opponents he might have to beat. He felt sorry for them because he will take them down one by one without any mercy.

"Mada Mada Dane."

Ryoma went up to one of the assistants in the area and asked, "Excuse me, where do I sign in?"

The American looked at him and handed him a clip board. "Please sign next to your name." Ryoma signed his name and returned the clipboard.

"Now, please stand over there while we pair you up with your opponent when the tournament starts shortly." He motioned to the crowded corner full of tall and fit tennis players.

"Hnn…" Ryoma looked curiously at them. They had the height advantage alright. But, Ryoma was sure he would win. It wasn't the first time he played someone much taller than him. 'This is going to be so easy.' He thought and went to line up with the rest of the players.

* * *

"Kya!" a clumsy braided pig tail girl cried as she stumbled for the third time that day. 

"Sakuno." Former Seigaku tennis coach, Sumire Ryuuzaki looked at her granddaughter disapprovingly. "Please be more careful."

"Hai, Obaa-chan…" she muttered and mentally scolded her coordination. She had tried to become less clumsy over the past year but she hasn't had much improvement.

"Mou…" she huffed and tugged on the white hat that sat on the top of her head. Yes. That was the hat Ryoma Echizen had given her before she left for America last year. She kept it in perfect condition and tried her best to keep it as clean as possible. On important occasions such as this, she would whip out his hat and wear it as if it was her good luck charm. It was one of her most treasured possessions and she was still waiting for the day when she and "Ryoma-kun" would meet again….

"Sakuno." Her grandmother called, distracting her from her thoughts. "The tournaments already began. Let's go watch some of the matches before our school's match begins."

"Hai!" she replied enthusiastically. Over the past year, her passion for tennis never faded but only grew stronger despite the fact that her tennis skills still sucked.

As she and her grandmother approached the tournament courts, a loud scream from girl spectators sounded from the left court. Sakuno turned to stare at the crowded court filled with people. It was hard to even see through those bodies blocking her view of the players on the court.

"Ne Obaa-chan," Sakuno turned to her grandmother. "Should we go see what's going on in that court? There's a lot of people there."

Sumire Ryuuzaki nodded and they both made their way to the court while pushing their way to the front to get a better view.

"Sorry!" she apologized quietly in English as she pushed her way through. When she finally got to the front, she froze.

Sakuno stood stiffly and rubbed her eyes to make sure she was not dreaming. In front of her was a boy that looked _so much_ like her Ryoma-kun. 'I must be mistakened.' She thought.

"Ah, so he did show up. Echizen Ryoma." Her grandmother suddenly said beside her and Sakuno's head quickly snapped up to look at her grandmother questioningly.

"O-Obaa-chan!" Sakuno gasped. "T-That's Ryoma-kun?!"

Her grandmother frowned at her granddaughter's behavior. "Sakuno. Have you forgotten Ryoma Echizen already?" Sakuno blushed. Of course _not_! She just thought she was hallucinating!

This was _too good_ to be true…

"I-Iie, I was just surprised to see him here…"

Sumire Ryuuzaki raised an inquiring eyebrow. "It's an international tournament Sakuno. What's so surprising about him being here? I recommended him to come anyway."

Sakuno mentally scolded herself. Of course Ryoma had every right to participate. How could she forget that this was an international tournament? _Baka!_

Sakuno lifted her head just in time to see Ryoma perform his twist serve scaring his opponent to the point that he was scrambling to dodge the ball aimed at his face.

"That's the Twist Serve!" she shouted enthusiastically as she remembered the move Ryoma used to perform so frequently. How she missed it!

"3 games to 0" the referee announced. "Change court!"

Ryoma Echizen was leading - as expected.

Sakuno watched her prince's face change into a cocky smirk and she felt her legs turn to jelly.

"Ryoma-kun!" she yelled hoping to catch his attention above the roaring crowd. When he didn't turn to look at her, her heart sank.

* * *

"Three Games to Zero" the referee announced. "Change court!" 

Ryoma smirked. All the opponents he has played so far were no where near his level. He beat them easily despite the fact that he was much younger and much shorter than they were. No doubt about it, he was going to bring that trophy home.

Suddenly he froze.

For a moment, he thought he heard someone calling him. He scanned the crowd quickly but dismissed it when he only caught glimpses of screaming girls. Perhaps he was only hallucinating. He shrugged it off and attempted to move to change courts.

He made his way toward the direction of the bench where he wanted to get a drink of water before resuming the match. The American girls screamed as he got closer and he only sighed in annoyance.

Ryoma unscrewed his water bottle and was about to take a sip when he paused. Behind him, he thought he heard someone call him "Ryoma-kun" very softly over the screaming noise. In all his years, only _one_ person would call him _Ryoma-kun_. He dropped the bottle on the bench and turned around swiftly and anxiously. He hoped to Kami that he wasn't just imagining it.

When he turned around, the first person that greeted his eyes was _her_. He stood rooted on the spot while their eyes met for the first time in a long time. Their gaze was broken however, when Sumire Ryuuzaki interrupted.

"I see you've gotten better, Echizen."

Ryoma turned to his ex-coach and greeted her although his eyes mainly focused on the blushing pig tailed girl next to her. It was then, when he realized she was _wearing his hat_ and he felt heat creeping up to his cheeks. It was the first time a girl has worn anything of his and it seemed like she was tempting him although he was sure she did it unintentionally. She looked absolutely _adorable _though.

The referee whistled signaling the match will resume shortly. He watched as Sakuno's eyes flickered with disappointment that he had to return to his match shortly after they just reunited. The referee whistled to him again, this time impatiently and Ryoma scowled. "I'll talk after I win this match."

Sumire Ryuuzaki nodded and Ryoma turned to leave however, Sakuno's voice stopped him.

"Ryoma-kun!" she called as he was about to walk away back onto the courts. He turned around to look at her and she broke away from his gaze. She reached up and took off "her" hat and handed it to him.

"H-Here Ryoma-kun!" She pushed the hat into his hands. "Over the past year, your hat has given me lots of good luck. So I think it's time I return it to you." She raised her head to look at him. "Hopefully, it'll give you the same good luck it gave me."

Ryoma inspected the hat in his hands thoughtfully. Finally, he gave her one of his famous smirks. "Thank You." He whispered quietly and Sakuno flushed scarlet.

"I-Iie" she stuttered.

"I'll talk to you later." He said and put on his hat. Then he returned to the courts.

He stood in front of his opponent on opposite courts. Then, he raised his tennis racket arrogantly and pointed it at his opponent.

"You still have lots more to work on!" Ryoma said in English and the whole court roared.

Echizen Ryoma smiled genuinely for the first time in a long time. He missed playing matches with Sakuno by his side cheering him on silently in the sidelines. Now, he finally had that chance to go back to the past when she was there always watching him from afar and supporting him. He was going to do his best and make the best of it.

"Mada Mada Dane" he said this time in Japanese as his opponent served a weak ball to his court. He returned it easily with another one of his special moves.

Ryoma glanced at his losing opponent's sweaty appearance and then shifted his gaze to Sakuno who had her hands clasped tightly with a hopeful look on her face.

He was going to win this game and every other game in the tournament like he always do. Except this time, he's going to win this tournament with someone very special by his side and_ that_ made the biggest difference.

He smirked cockily.

'The game had just begun.'

(A/N: _So did his love life. Wink Wink._)

* * *

**FIN**. Thank you for reading!

* * *

**Pure Essence**: This fic is officially complete! YAY!! Now I can think about my next fic which will also be another Ryo x Saku. Please support me on my new fic when it comes out too! I hope you liked this last and final chapter. It was very hard to start the chapter because I have the plot down basically but not the details. Hopefully, it didn't come out that bad. Please excuse my grammar mistakes… I'm sure there are loads of them everywhere… My Microsoft Word isn't doing a very good job finding mistakes. So once again, sorry if there are many mistakes with the tenses and such. 

Just for your information:

1. In Japan, the second button on a guy's school uniform is usually reserved for the girl he likes.

2. Throughout this chapter, I tried to be broad like saying "America" instead of naming a specific city because I just couldn't think this through. Especially when it's 4:00 A.M. right now, and I just finished this fic.

3. Er…. N.I.C hotel is something I made up out of nowhere so don't ask me how I got it…

4. The Epilogue came out to be 14 pages long! Surprised me too. I had planned to make this short and simple...Somehow, I made it more complicated.

Anyway, I hoped you enjoy this story and I'm glad I was able to complete this. Please Read and Review! Hoping to hear your comments soon!!


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